


In Need Of Some Good Advice

by brighidg



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-14
Updated: 2011-03-13
Packaged: 2017-10-16 22:58:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 33,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/170295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brighidg/pseuds/brighidg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Needing help when it comes to his relationship with Rose, Scorpius receives some unsolicited advice from a few unlikely sources.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Much thanks to my betas. Written for smrw_ficafest. I own nothing and JKR, Warner Brothers, and Scholastic Books own everything. I spell the name "Asteria" because that's how JKR spelled it on the Weasley Family Tree.

As expected for a Friday afternoon, the Leaky Cauldron was crowded with shoppers looking for a bite to eat, commuters coming from and going to Muggle London, and blokes looking to ogle the barmaids. Like the two at the table next to Scorpius'.

"You think she looks good now?" the heavyset man - someone Scorpius vaguely recognized as a former Hufflepuff who'd been a few years ahead of him - asked his friend. "You should have seen her ten years ago. Always had her hair in pigtails and favored these off-the-shoulder, low-cut blouses that showed off her fantastic--"

Scorpius shook his head and inched further into his booth. It wasn't what they were saying about the barmaid. Most blokes at school had a crush on Mrs. Longbottom so he was well past being scandalized by such talk. His problem was he wasn't picturing her or any of the other barmaids but his best friend, auburn hair in two messy pigtails and barely wearing a tartier version of the blouses the barmaids wore.

"Oi! Malfoy!"

"Rose!" And there she was in the flesh. Tendrils of curly hair coming free from the loose bun she had it in, dressed in denims and that damned too-big-for-her Chudley Cannons shirt she seemed to love and holding a small tower of boxes that looked like they came from local stores. No signs of make-up or glamour charms and the summer humidity was clearly wreaking havoc on her hair, yet still he had to remind himself not to stare. Rose had caught him shooting enough moony-eyed looks her way as it was. "I didn't--"

She didn't let him finish, instead nudging him further into the booth with the box tower in her hands. "I'm knackered. Budge over. Dominique dragged me to no less than seven robe shops today."

Doing as she asked, he made room for her and her boxes in the booth. "Why the new robes?"

The moment the question passed his lips, Scorpius regretted it.

"I told you! The party the Cannons are throwing." Slumping back in the booth, Rose sighed. "I never should have asked Dominique to go with me. She's a shopping _fiend_. All I wanted was a new dress but she dragged me into store after store, first for the dress, then shoes, then potions and cosmetics, _then_ I needed new underwear. I don't know what's wrong with what I already have."

Scorpius winced, valiantly pushing the image of Rose wearing nothing but pigtails, knickers and a smile out of his mind.

"Like anyone is going to see my knickers ... and don't make that face."

"I wasn't making a face."

"You were so," she insisted, screwing up her face and hunching her shoulders in an exaggerated imitation of him. "All evidence to the contrary, I am a girl and do have girl bits."

"I've noticed." He couldn't stop noticing, that was the problem.

Waving her hand as if she were brushing away a doxy, Rose asked, "Have you ordered yet? I haven't eaten since noon and I'm famished."

"No, I was waiting for you. Didn't think you'd be here this early."

"You said five, it's..." Rose looked around before spotting the granddad clock in the corner. "A little before five, actually."

"Right. With you, 'five' tends to mean 'twenty after'. Hence my surprise," he drawled, enjoying the look on her face.

Rose rolled her eyes and sighed, though a grin was playing on her mouth as she replied, "Is that why you wanted to meet me? To talk about your compulsive need to be punctual? I really think that's something best left for a Heal--"

"I was wondering," Scorpius interrupted, knowing that if he didn't, she could just go on and on, "what you wanted to do this year. For the prank."

"The prank! I'm so sorry, Scorpius, I completely forgot about that. I've just been so busy with everything..."

While that was to be expected, he hadn't seen her in over a month between his parents dragging him all over Asia and Rose spending most of her summer wasting away in the Ministry basement as part of her internship, and Scorpius couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. "It's not like we _have_ to do something..."

"Yes, we do. I'll be damned if I let Fred and James best us in this," she insisted, slapping the table for emphasis. This rivalry was as much hers as it was his. Maybe more so. "Are we planning on involving good ol' Corny in this, or is it just a general school-wide prank? Do we know who the Head Girl is? Or are we playing it by ear? Oh, I should have brought a quill and notebook with me."

"Depends on what we come up with, Imogen Dogberry, looks like it for now, and," he reached into his messenger bag to produce a notebook and one self-inking quill, "already done."

Leaning back in the booth, she gave an appreciative nod. "Not bad, Malfoy."

"Why thank you, Weasley."

"Any chance you're hiding a sandwich in there?" She teased, her smile making him wish for all the world that he was.

"I could try to flag down a barmaid, if you want," he offered. The crowd had picked up and Scorpius had a feeling that because he had waved off the barmaids earlier when waiting for Rose, most of them were ignoring their table now.

"I think it would be easier to just order at the bar. Do you want anything?"

With a wave of his hand towards the tower of boxes blocking her exit from the booth, Scorpius told her, "Might be better if I go, seeing as how you're currently boxed in."

Rose let out a whoop of laughter. "That was _awful_."

"I know."

"Would you get me a bacon sandwich? With chips? Oh, and a pint?"

He smirked. "Sure that will be enough?"

"I could always steal off your plate."

"You do anyway," Scorpius said before making his way towards the bar. As he had expected, it took several minutes before the bartender noticed him so he could place the order. Time he spent half-listening to two American businessmen discuss bringing Quodpot to the UK (an absurd idea but he was still tempted to mention his dad to them anyway) and thinking about Rose. Predictably enough. In their time apart they'd only exchanged three letters, the trip too far for either owl to make in under a week and no Floo calls thanks to the time difference. Even though he had been kept busy with the parties and the sight-seeing and the _fifteen_ Quidditch games, he couldn't stop wondering what Rose was doing, what she was thinking, what she would say if she was there with him, and who she _was_ with. All her letters had been short with one completely devoted to a row between her and Hugo, a fact that hadn't stopped him from reading it again and again.

Not for the first time, Scorpius realized how completely pathetic he'd become.

Juggling their tray of food, he made his way through the crowd. It was pointless to dwell on the past. She was here now and they'd have at least an hour or two to spend together before she'd have to leave.

(And some part of his mind was already hoping he could convince her to skip the party.)

A laugh rang out over the din of the bar - Rose's laugh. As he approached the table, he still couldn't quite spot her through all the people but he could hear her talking to someone. "You'll find out tonight!"

"I don't want to wait until tonight," a distinctly male voice responded. One that Scorpius knew though he hoped he was wrong.

He wasn't.

The crowds parted and sitting just where Scorpius had been was Duncan Finnigan: son of two former DA members, adored by both Hermione and Ron Weasley ( _especially_ Mr. Weasley), one of James Potter's closest friends since infancy, former captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons's newest player as well as their great hope for the coming season and Rose Weasley's boyfriend of several months.

From the looks of it, they were playing some disgustingly cutesy game of keep-away where Finnigan tried to grab the boxes behind Rose and she kept blocking him. Rose squealed when Finnigan tickled her in some ploy to get her to move away from the boxes (or grope her in public) and Scorpius was struck with the urge to Disapparate on the spot.

Instead he cleared his throat and set the tray down on the table.

"I was about to send a search party for you!"

"Oh, hey, mate!"

He gave a curt nod, barely glancing at Finnigan and making no moves to sit down. It didn't look like Finnigan was leaving any time soon and Scorpius was in no mood to play third-wheel.

Apparently, his refusal to sit down had not gone unnoticed. Rose gave him a curious look. "Is something... wrong?"

"I can't stay," Scorpius told her, surprised at how neutral his voice sounded. "I just remembered, my dad asked me to go the bank for him."

"Well, you have a half-hour till it closes --" Finnigan interjected.

A small, tight smile plastered itself onto Scorpius' face. "More like ten minutes, you know how the goblins are." Turning to Rose, he added, "I'll see you at school, yeah?"

He had just turned to leave when Rose called, "What about your food?"

"Already paid for, you can split it!"

The last thing Scorpius saw before disappearing into the crowd was Finnigan digging into his sandwich and the frown on Rose's face.

 

* * *

 

"Don't slouch, Scorpius."

Straightening up but still leaning against the wall, he gave a mumbled, "Yes, sir."

Pointing his wand at his face, Scorpius did a Cooling Charm on himself. It was oppressively hot in the aviary today; the only reason there wasn't more of a smell was because his grandfather had asked Sneezy and Flopsy to come in before them to do the necessary charms. Watching his grandfather stand amidst an ostentation of newly-hatched peachicks as he set up their small feeding pens, Scorpius supposed he shouldn't be that surprised that he had decided to do this himself rather than giving it to the house-elves. Dad had often said (always with that tone of annoyance) that his grandfather treated his peafowl more like pets than anything else.

"So, er..." Scorpius moved his foot away from one curious peachick that had begun to peck at his boot. "How do we know which ones are the boys and which ones are the girls?"

"We don't. White peafowl are notoriously difficult to sex." His grandfather stood in the midst of the small pens he'd created, reinforcing the wire that separated two pens. It was odd seeing him do even simple carpentry spells. "Most wait until their peafowl grow tails, but I've asked a specialist to come by next week to do the necessary genetic testing."

Lucius stepped out of the pens, admiring his handiwork. "Are all the bowls ready?"

"All filled." Scorpius waved his hand towards the table where twenty bowls sat, half filled with water and the other with feed, each containing one ordinary marble. He'd been rather confused why his grandfather had brought a bag of marbles with them until he explained that most young chicks had to be taught how to peck or else they wouldn't be able to feed themselves. The marble - or any shiny object - would help them learn to feed themselves, the idea being they'd peck at the marble and take in some food or water while they were at it.

At that explanation the unbidden memory of his dad stating peacocks were "too stupid to live" came to mind.

"Good. Bring the bowls over to the pens while I gather up the chicks."

They worked in silence for a while. Once Scorpius had finished setting down the bowls, he helped divvy up the chicks into their pens. Several of them were crowded together into one large fuzzy yellow ball in the corner and they all began to squawk excitedly when he grabbed two of them.

"Your father tells me you weren't chosen as Head Boy."

He knew this was coming. "I didn't expect to be."

"You didn't? And why not? You're on the Quidditch team, involved in several clubs and your father assures me your grades are excellent."

"I know but the Headmistress has this whole system. She likes to choose two from different Houses each year to make sure they all receive a fair representation. A Slytherin was chosen last year, so I knew I was out of the running."

"Of all the idiot Hufflepuff notions--"

"It's not a big deal." He knew it was impertinent to interrupt but he didn't want to go through this again.

"You don't have a problem with this?"

"I didn't say that." Truthfully, he could see the logic in Sprout's arrangement even if he didn't agree. However, after a similar conversation with his dad he knew it wasn't prudent to try to argue the point. "But what's done is done."

Another silence fell over them. When they finished and all the chicks were in their pens, the two stepped outside. It was cooler but still too warm and Scorpius had the urge to throw himself in the lake. He settled for leaning against the house and looking out at the water. Again, it was Lucius who broke the silence. "Your father's been worried about you. Said you seemed a bit melancholy this summer. Spending a lot of time at home, not as interested in Quidditch--"

"I've been to over _thirty games_ this summer." He liked the game as much as the next bloke but even he had his limits. "It's just tiring after a while."

Raising an eyebrow at him, his grandfather was quiet for a few moments before finally saying, "I see."

Neither said anything for several minutes and then, for some mad reason Scorpius would wonder about later, he said, "There's this girl. I've liked her for months, maybe longer but I haven't told her how I feel."

"Is that all?" Before Scorpius could respond, he continued," Is she from a good family?"

Scorpius knew exactly what his grandfather was asking and doubted very much that the Weasleys would ever meet his standard of a 'good family'. But they were. "I -- yeah, yeah she is."

"We know them?"

"Yes."

Mercifully, he gave Scorpius some privacy and didn't ask who they were. Instead, he asked, "Does this girl care for you?"

"We're friends. We've been friends for ages." And he knew Rose thought he was attractive, she had said as much when asking him why he wasn't seeing anyone. _"You're a good-looking bloke, you just need more confidence."_

"Then what is the problem?"

"Well, she's dating someone. Has been for several months."

"So?"

"What... isn't it... wouldn't it," Scorpius sputtered, trying to find the words even though he knew, he _knew_ , what his grandfather would say, "isn't that... inappropriate?"

Lucius gave him an indulgent smile and Scorpius felt like a peachick that had just done something particularly amusing. "My dear boy, _dating_ isn't married."

"So I should just ask her out?"

"Well, I'd hope you would have more finesse than that. And more sense," he added, after a moment's consideration. "You know this girl, you know what she likes, what she doesn't. Use that knowledge. Impress her. Woo her."

"Woo her," Scorpius repeated slowly.

"If she feels the same way, you should have no trouble prying her away from this other wizard."

~~~~~~~~

Leaning forward, Scorpius focused on the text again, willing his mind not to wander this time.

 _Touch is one way to let your witch know your intentions towards her. Don't be too forward, now! First, gauge her interest by her body language. When you sit together, does she mimic your movements? Cross her legs towards you? Even move into your personal space? Any of these signs can be evidence of her interest in you!_

Rose did all that; sitting right next to him on the couch so her thigh was against his, playfully bumping his feet with hers when they sat across from each other in the library, even taking his arm in hers when they were walking. He always wanted to initiate that movement but never did, fearing it would be too forward or unwanted. Thinking about it, he rarely made the first move. Every hug they'd ever shared, Rose had initiated.

It was a daunting prospect to change that now.

 _Your first touches should be casual: a gentle touch to the arm when you laugh at her jokes or a light touch to her hand when you're deep in conversation. If these go over well and you're feeling bold, trying placing your hand at the small of her back as you guide along the street..._

Scorpius had done this once, last spring. They had been walking back to their respective dorms after a late Astronomy lesson. Since Gryffindor was closer, they'd gone there first. When the staircase had shifted and moved beneath them, he had instinctively put his hand on Rose's back to steady her. It was a simple action that he'd seen between his parents thousands of times before so he hadn't thought much of it in that moment. When he did it, Rose hadn't moved away, but she did giggle nervously and look over at him in surprise.

He hadn't tried it since.

 _...or placing your hand on her knee as you sit together and discuss one of her favorite topics._

Her knee. He could probably do that. All he had to do was wait for the right moment like when she was worrying about what she was going to do after Hogwarts or was feeling insecure about her writing. Just a delicate pat, not lingering too much. Certainly not straying any further than her knee...

And he could definitely think about doing this without imagining some scenario that lead to his hand finding its way up her skirt while they had some wild snogging session.

Shifting on the couch, Scorpius sighed and wondered if it might be best to skip the chapter on flirting and touching for the time being. It certainly wasn't doing him any good to read and re-read the same page.

Before he could decide, a familiar female voice brought him out of his reverie, "Long time, no see."

At the sound of Rose's voice, his fight-or-flight instinct took over and he immediately hid the book between the arm of the couch and his own body. A particularly stupid move since Rose could _see him_ try to hide the book and she definitely wasn't going to let that one go. Hoping to distract her, he asked, "How did you get in here?"

"Al let me in." Judging from the smirk on her face, she had seen everything. Knocking her knee against his, she inclined her head towards the arm of the couch. "What's the book?"

"It's nothing."

Rose only looked more amused. "Is it a _dirty_ book?"

"No!" He hated himself for turning pink at those words as his fantasy came back to mind.

In a sing-song tone, she pressed, "Then why did you hide it?"

"It's nothing."

"Then let me see." She made a grab for it but he was faster, moving to the side to block her. She paused. "If I ask nicely will you let me see?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Fine," she said, backing up and crossing her arms. He felt a bit bad about this but still he relaxed.

At which point Rose pounced, nearly pinning him against the couch as she did. Again, he managed to block her by moving to the side. Rose was undeterred by this, almost straddling him at one point as she moved onto the couch. He couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of his current situation, which only spurred her on.

"If I had naughty books, I would share with you." She said into his ear, practically on top of his back as he curled protectively over the book.

So many things ran through his mind, so many things he wanted to ask, but he merely said, "It's not a naughty book."

"Then show it to me? Please?"

Now she _was_ on his back and he wondered how he could get out from under her without letting her have the book or risk her falling onto the floor. Also of importance: how long he could ignore her breath on his neck and the feel of her breasts pressed up against him. "No."

"Pretty please?"

Before he could answer her, a small group of fourth-year boys passed, whispering to each other. One called out, "Other way around, mate," then they all burst into snickers and hurried away.

Both he and Rose parted and straightened up instantly, Scorpius flipping them off and wishing he was still a Prefect and Rose yelling "Sod off, you little wazzocks!"

Fixing her robe and still looking flushed, Rose muttered, "Be nice if we could still dock them house points, wouldn't it?"

He didn't have time to agree, Rose grabbed the book and jumped off the couch.

"Hey!"

" _Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches_?" she squealed, incredulous.

Scorpius hid his face in his hands.

"Oh, Malfoy," she chuckled, flipping through the book. "My dad has the same book. Had it for years."

"What?"

"He tried to use it on my mum back when they were in school."

"Does that mean you've read it?"

"Not really, but I've looked through it. Same tosh as you'd see in _Witch Weekly_ : compliment her often, touch her arm when you talk, show that you listen by repeating key phrases. Stuff any idiot would know already."

That made two Galleons he just wasted. "Right."

Maybe it was the sound of dejection in his voice but a look of dawning realization came over her face. In a sorry attempt at being soothing, Rose quickly stated, "Not that it's a bad idea or anything! I'm sure it's worked for loads of wizards, just look at all the testimonials on the back!"

Elbows resting on his knees, he looked up at her in disbelief.

She handed the book back to him and he took it, shoving it between the couch cushion and the arm with half a mind to leave it there. Still not saying anything, Rose gingerly sat down next to him. In a quieter voice than before, she asked, "So who is she?"

"Who's who?"

A wave towards the hidden book. "The witch you're trying to charm."

Of course. "No one, it's... there's no one. I don't even know why I bought it."

A brief glance told him she didn't quite believe that but she didn't press the matter. "Look, I'm sorry if--"

"Don't worry about it." Anxious to change the subject, he plunged ahead with the question that had been on his mind for days. "What are you doing this weekend?"

Blinking in confusion, Rose sputtered for a moment. "Er, hanging around the castle? Probably blowing off my homework. Why?"

"Want to go to Hogsmeade with me? We could go to your uncle's shop, maybe get a few ideas for the prank." That's not why he had asked but he supposed it was a start. If one ignored the dozens upon dozens of prior trips to Hogsmeade they'd already shared.

"Like you need to ask." Smiling at him, Rose bumped her shoulder against his. "We could ask my uncle for ideas, I know he helped Fred and James with a few pranks."

"Good idea."

With a cheeky grin she added, "And we could stop by Botwid's Bevy of Books and pick out better reading material."

"Very funny."

 

~~~~~~~~

 

With one last look, Scorpius chucked the box of Weasley Whiz-Bangs back onto the shelf. As much fun as a fireworks display was, it had been done before. He didn't even spare a second look to the Canary Creams or Farting Fudge, there was no way they'd be able to slip it into everyone's food or even just the staff's.

George Weasley wasn't in the shop today, having been called away to Dublin to look at the future site of their first shop in Ireland. Rose and he had spent half their time here debating whether or not they should use Fred, who was minding shop for his dad, to get ideas for their prank. She felt it would "ruin the integrity" of the idea and wouldn't mean as much if they had his help, whereas he had argued that it only made sense to use all the resources available, and what would be better than using James and Fred's ideas (without them realizing it, naturally) to best them?

For now, they were at an impasse.

He glanced over at Rose, brow furrowed as she stared at the shelves, legs crossed with one bobbing to some imaginary beat, idly twirling the end of her quill between her parted lips in a way that was slowly driving him insane.

"When you look back at all our best pranks," Rose began suddenly, "both together and separately, what characteristics do they all share?"

Scorpius blinked. "They were all funny?"

"Not that," she said, slamming the quill down on her notebook and glaring at him. "What elements in them made them work? Was it the ones where we relied on physical humor? The ones where which were just mind-games? If we can figure that out, then maybe we can get ideas for this prank."

It made a weird sort of sense he supposed. "I think we first need to figure out what our best pranks were before we try to figure out what made them work."

Without skipping a beat, Rose said, "Your third-year prank on James and Fred. Where you paid everyone in Gryffindor to call them 'John' and 'Frank' for a day."

Scorpius smiled, puffing out his chest a bit. He'd always been proud of that one. "Best seventy-four galleons I ever spent."

"It required little effort, a lot of the humor was found in their reactions but," Rose said out loud, writing furiously in her notebook, "it was dependent on everyone playing along. What else?"

"Your fifth-year prank on Corny. Where you spent a week convincing him he was shrinking!" He smiled at the memory of Rose borrowing Scorpius' robe and shoes to imitate Corny running through the Dining Hall in a mad panic.

"Labor intensive," Rose said, writing again, "and time intensive. Humor found in Corny's reaction."

"My werewolf prank on Corny in sixth-year."

"Which you were completely insane to do."

"You were the one who gave me the idea! You told me how your mum turned herself into some cat-like thing when she grabbed the wrong hair for her Polyjuice Potion!"

"You spent a week in the hospital wing." Unfortunately, neither he nor Rose had known that using Polyjuice Potion to transform into an animal took longer to reverse. Madame Pomfrey had not been impressed and he had spent a month in detention for it.

"It wasn't that bad."

"You're lucky he didn't kill you and drag your half-formed carcass into Defense Against Dark Arts as an extra credit project."

"It _worked_."

Frowning, Rose wrote something down in her notebook. She didn't repeat it out loud, so he could only assume it was something along the lines of, _"Scorpius Malfoy is a stupid gitface who shouldn't be allowed around Polyjuice Potion."_ Shaking his head, he continued down the aisle. The Magical Mirage could be promising, if only he could think of something clever to do with it.

"Do you think we're too mean to Corny?"

"He always starts it."

And that was truth as far as Scorpius was concerned. Cornelius Fenton was the current Head Boy and the biggest prat in all of Gryffindor seven years running. Quite the feat since he spent six of those years competing with James Potter for the title. He was the sort of bloke who treated Quidditch as if it was a holy war for the soul of Hogwarts, displaying a fanatical ruthlessness one would expect from Slytherins as he knocked people off their brooms while racing for the Quaffle. The grandstanding bastard even hit Bludgers at people and twice had caught the Snitch even though he was just a Chaser! People on his own team found him as annoying as everyone else did; Rose had even told him there was a deep division in the Gryffindor team over whether to keep him on or boot him. An officious, toadying know-it-all, he boasted twelve O.W.L.s their fifth year and was involved in eighteen clubs and organizations. Scorpius hadn't even been aware that Hogwarts had that many clubs and organizations till he heard Corny talking about it.

The one good thing he could say about Corny was that he was partly the reason Scorpius and Rose were friends now. Both had entered Hogwarts expecting to compete with each other only to find their true competition was Cornelius. He bested them in every single subject, leaving Rose and Scorpius to fight over second place. Not that they did. Instead, they bonded over their mutual dislike of Corny. But it wasn't till their fifth year when they had to deal with Corny during patrols and Prefect meetings that the pranks began. Without Al there to restrain them (he had buried himself in his books, furiously studying for his O.W.L.s) they spent a good portion of the next two years trying to drive Corny mad. All self-defense as far as Scorpius was concerned, Corny was trying to drive everyone mental by being himself so they had to fight back.

 

"I know. Still, it's been two weeks into the school year and he hasn't bothered us yet."

 

"A new record."

 

"Yeah," Rose said quietly, staring ahead as she worried the end of her quill.

 

"Like I said before, we don't have to get him involved. Most of our ideas don't include him at all."

 

"I think that would be better. It should be about the whole school anyway."

 

"Works for me," Scorpius said with a nod. "Do you want to head over to Botwid's? Fred mentioned there were some good books there on pranks and practical jokes. Magical and Muggle."

 

"When did you talk to Fred?"

 

"When you were in the little witches' room."

 

"You didn't ask him about the prank did you?"

 

Turning and strolling towards the door, pausing only for Rose to catch up, he said over his shoulder, "No, _I didn't ask_."

 

"But it just came up in conversation, right?"

 

"Given that we were in a joke shop where your cousin works and this same cousin knows our fondness for pranks I don't see how that is so hard to believe."

Storming past him, Rose reached the entrance to Botwid's first and paused in the doorway, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. "I told you not to."

 

"You _told_ me?" he laughed. "Since when do you get to tell me to do anything? Why do you have a bug up your bum about this?"

 

"It's the principle of the thing!" Rose grumbled, turning her back on him as she entered the store.

 

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "You know that only makes sense to Gryffindors, right?"

He wasn't sure whether to be disappointed or relieved that she hadn't seemed to hear that. Unlike him, Rose had no qualms about brawling in public if she was angry enough and that was really not he wanted this trip to go. Following her, he soon found himself in front of a small shelf of books on practical jokes. While realistically he had known there wouldn't be that large of a selection, he had been hoping for something more substantial. Rose, however, seemed to know exactly what to look for, pulling out two large wizarding tomes.

 

"How--"

 

Still scowling, she gave an impatient flick of her hand, "I asked James."

 

"About the prank."

 

" _Yes_."

 

"After 'telling' me not to?"

She crossed her arms. "It was before. Which is why I didn't want you to ask. He started gloating about how we'd never top them but oh, he'd 'be happy to help the younger generation'. He's such a prat."

Lifting up the books in his arms, he tried not to sound to smug when he said, "So, I guess you could say we're using their ideas against them, yeah?"

Rose pulled a face and headed towards another row of books. "It's not the same."

"It's exactly the same!"

In a maddeningly calm voice, she picked up a book, barely pausing to glance at him. "Is not."

"Because you say so?"

A broad smile now. "Yes. And here," she put another book on the pile in his arms, "this might be up your alley."

 _Luck in Love: How To Lure Your Soulmate!_

 

"Yeah, you're a real crack-up. Why don't we go look in that aisle now?" He made a waving gesture, intending to point towards the wall of Muggle books but fell short when the books he'd shifted to one arm started to slip.

 

"Oh, these?" Knowing full well what he _had_ meant, she only moved down a foot. "Kind of putting the carriage before the aethonon but all right." Making a grand show of looking, Rose grabbed one book from the shelf. "Here's a good one, _Sin & Seduction_."

 

Bloody hell, she'd gone for the romance novels.

Giggling, Rose began reading in a breathy tone, " _Hume Regan is a notorious thief and Lena Morgan is the Auror determined to bring him down._ " In a voice closer to her normal one, she snorted, "I'll bet."

"Rose."

She ignored him, flipping through the book. "Let's see if the action is any good."

Scorpius shuffled his feet, looking around the store, expecting at any minute for the manager to pop out of nowhere and yell at them.

" _She laughed at the thought. Even the dowdy clothes she wore to go undercover could not conceal her generous curves._ Why do they never think to use Polyjuice Potion? _Those curves had not gone unnoticed. Hume stepped forward and boldly wrapped one arm around her tiny waist, her full breasts heaving against his broad chest._ Blah, blah. Both perfect specimens of wizardom. Boring."

Determined not to think about curves or heaving breasts, Scorpius took a deep breath and tried again. "Rose, I think we should--"

Flipping a few pages further, she held up a hand. "Hold on, I just want to see..." she broke into a loud guffaw that caused the few other patrons in the book store to turn and stare.

Using the same breathy voice as earlier, Rose smirked as she read," _'Let me touch you,' she whispered, breathless with anticipation. Sliding her small white hand up his thigh, her fingers lingered over the hard ridge of his body as they trailed up towards his belt buckle._ "

Sweet Merlin, was she doing this on purpose? Scorpius flushed pink and tried to think about something else: his favorite pranks, Quidditch scores for Slytherin over the past seven years, the tragic plight of Muggleborn wizards in Prague. _Anything_ but Rose Weasley on her knees, begging to touch him as she slid her hands all over his body.

" _A small moan escaped Hume's lips as her fingers encased his love wand_."

That did it. "What?"

Still giggling to herself, she placed the book back where she had found it. "Love wand. Though the best I've read was one book that had several unfortunate puns about 'riding his broom'."

"Wait a minute," Scorpius remembered what she had said earlier, "I thought you said you'd share your 'naughty books' with me? Have you been holding out on me?"

Not laughing any longer, Rose's face was flushed right up to the tips of her ears. "I was using it for research. _For a story_."

He raised an eyebrow. "What kind of stories are you writing?"

"Let's go look at the Muggle books."

 

~~~~~~~~

 

Scorpius sunk his fingers into the dark soil, enjoying the feel of it against his skin. The bright green of a new plant against the black dirt made him think of summer and the return of life and warmth after months of cold gray silence. His dad didn't understand it. Why didn't he want to play Quidditch professionally? Go work at the Ministry? At the _Daily Prophet_? _"Why spend your time playing in the dirt?"_ He didn't get that there was something solid and real about this work. If Scorpius did well in his History of Magic class, what did he have to show for it but a good mark on a test? Just writing on a piece of parchment that would be forgotten or invalidated by the next test. But in Herbology, if Scorpius did well he'd have something living to show for it, something that would continue to exist and thrive long after that test.

A rather soppy and even downright daft reason, which was why he never told his dad any of this.

Gently pressing the last bit of the soil into the new pot, he brushed off his hands and admired his handiwork. The miniature rose bush was sure to grow and thrive. However, it would be a several months before it could be replanted into the ground. Not wanting Rose to have to fuss with it too much, he'd timed its growth to ensure it wouldn't be too unwieldy when he gave it to her and now re-potted it so it had room to grow.

He'd spent the past few months trying to find the perfect gift for her this Christmas. They usually gave each other books, both having an almost endless "to-read" list. Last year, after realizing that his feelings for Rose went beyond friendship, he'd given her a book of Muggle poetry along with a book on a Muggle branch of science known as "physics" that he knew she had wanted. Looking through it, he found one poem that he thought fit his feelings for her and had considered maybe circling it or mentioning it in his card. After days of agonizing over the choice, he didn't.

(That same Christmas, Finnigan had been staying with the Potters. Rose spent as much time there as she did at her house. One thing lead to another, and she and Finnigan began seeing each other shortly after New Year's.)

Scorpius was still a coward, he knew that. The past few months had been great. He and Rose spent nearly every free minute they had together: working on the prank, talking about their post-Hogwarts plans, complaining about their parents, and wondering how they could pry Al away from his schoolwork. (All attempts at the latter had been unsuccessful.) She still had no problem taking his arm while they walked through Hogsmeade but - aside from once grabbing her arm to keep her from slipping on the ice - he'd made no progress. He certainly wasn't ready to tell her how he felt.

Instead he focused on getting the right gift, something that would hopefully hint towards his feelings. Scorpius thought about trying poetry again but worried it would seem unoriginal after last year. Perfume was out, he liked whatever it was she used that smelled of pumpkin and vanilla too much to change it. For a long time he considered jewelry. Not a ring, that was too obvious. Same thing with a necklace. Perhaps earrings or a bracelet?

After days of deliberation, he gave up on all jewelry as being too forward. If she was unattached, he'd go for it but she _was_ involved with someone. Much as he'd like to pretend otherwise.

Eventually he got the idea of giving her something he made, which for him meant a plant. A lot of girls liked Dancing Daisies or Singing Gladiolas but Rose didn't. They actually had a long-running joke where he threatened to buy her Singing Gladiolas and charm them to sing Celestina Warbeck's entire oeuvre. For a while he considered a Flutterby Bush but they grew too large, too soon, and needed to be pruned regularly. Then he thought - roses.

Rose loved roses. Her dad gave her a bouquet of yellow and orange roses for every birthday. She once confided to him that when she was little, she thought every girl had their own flower like she and Lily did. She liked every color, especially the rarer lilac and orange ones and any cultivar. The only thing she didn't like was when they died. So he had spent the past several weeks on the miniature rose bush. Thanks to Professor Longbottom's help with the manipulation of its genes, the plant grew blooms of varying colors including lilac and orange along with the more common red, pink, yellow and white.

First casting a protective charm over the plant to protect it from the wind, he picked it up and headed out into the cold and snow. It was a new moon tonight, leaving the sky completely black. If Scorpius had to guess, he'd say it was just after dinner. Upon entering the castle, he found the Dining Hall nearly empty aside from a few stragglers. Tomorrow Christmas vacation would begin and the night before was usually reserved for gift-exchanges and parties in the dorms. Rose had friends and family in every House so she could be anywhere.

Scorpius decided to start with Gryffindor.

Just as he reached the portrait, he realized he'd need someone from Gryffindor to allow him inside. The Fat Lady had been wary of Slytherins since the war and generally refused entrance even if they knew the password.

Luckily, Roxanne Weasley popped out of the portrait at that exact moment, a six-pack of butterbeer in her hand. "Hey Scorpius, what's up? Haven't been waiting there long have you?"

"No, I just arrived. Is Rose inside?"

"Ah, no. She's not," Roxanne said slowly, looking shifty. Quickly, she added, "Lily can tell you more. Here, I'll let you in."

"Yeah, okay." He followed her inside, though he didn't know why she couldn't tell him where Rose was. With his luck she was probably in Slytherin hanging out with Al and wondering where he was. He supposed she could be in Ravenclaw with Louis and Hugo but their parties were awful. Most Ravenclaws went to other Houses to party, not the other way around.

Which explained why the first thing he saw upon entering the Gryffindor Common Room was Louis and Hugo laughing at the idiot standing on the table loudly singing The Weird Sisters' classic, "I'm a Witch, Not your Bitch" while using his broom as an air-guitar.

That idiot being Cornelius Fenton.

"What--"

"Rose," Roxanne answered swiftly. "Corny was threatening to shut down the party because it promoted 'lewdness' and 'disorderly conduct' so she slipped some Uninhibition Potion in his pumpkin juice during dinner."

It was completely hypocritical and a bit cruel of her and still Scorpius couldn't stop smiling. "Brilliant."

"Lily's over by the fireplace."

"Thanks."

Sensing his approach, Lily looked up and smiled. "Hey, come for the party?"

"Actually, I was looking for Rose. Roxanne said I should ask you?"

"Yeah." Just like her cousin before her, she suddenly looked a bit nervous. Turning to her friends, she said, "I'll be right back" and stood up, taking Scorpius by the arm and guiding him to a quiet corner. "Rose isn't here."

"I noticed."

"No, I mean," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "she's not in Hogwarts. She skipped out to meet Duncan in Muggle London. They're spending the night there."

"Ah." He felt like he'd been slapped in the face. "Alone."

"Well, yeah."

"Right. Right." Of course she'd go off with her Quidditch-star boyfriend for the night. "Erm. Well."

"Is that for Rose?" she asked gently, gesturing towards the plant in his hands he'd somehow forgotten.

"This?" For a second he was tempted to lie, feeling more foolish than Corny at them moment. But he couldn't think of anything that made sense other than the truth. "Yeah. Well, she likes roses so I, er, grew roses for her."

"They're beautiful." Lily gave him a sympathetic smile; and Scorpius swore to himself that if Al told her, he would march right down to Slytherin and hex him into another dimension. "I could hold onto it if you want. Rose will be back in the morning."

He was tempted to keep the plant, knowing that if he did they'd likely wind up in the Slytherin fireplace. His better judgment won. "Yeah, sure. Thanks."

Lily nodded and he turned, wanting to get the hell away from here. "Scorpius?"

Scorpius glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"You won't ... tell anyone, right?"

He could, couldn't he? While she was of age, it was against Hogwarts' rules to leave school grounds without permission. It would cause a fair bit of scandal for Finnigan and he doubted very much that Rose's parents (especially her dad) would appreciate the Chudley Cannons's Golden Boy doing God knows what to their daughter during their stay in Muggle London. Overnight. What did a 19-year old Quidditch star want with a schoolgirl anyway? He probably had a few birds on the side. Quidditch players were treated like royalty, women threw themselves at them, and their wild parties and lurid affairs filled the gossip pages of _The Daily Prophet_. He would be doing Rose a favor if he told her parents what she was doing. Sure, she'd be mad at him now but he'd be saving her a lot of heartbreak down the road.

And if he tried hard enough, he could make himself believe that.

"No, I won't."

She visibly relaxed at this. "Have a Happy Christmas."

"Yeah, you too."


	2. Chapter 2

Save for the crackling of the fire in the fireplace, the mansion was nearly silent. Now well past midnight, everyone else had gone to bed. Everyone except for Scorpius, who sat alone in the Green Parlor, watching the candles flicker on the Christmas tree and tracing the title of the book in his lap. _Unrest & Unction: Urg the Unclean and the Goblin Rebellion of 1752_ signed by the author. He'd mentioned it once to Rose several weeks ago, while discussing the various goblin rebellions. Most of the books Scorpius had read, having been written by wizards, were horribly biased in favor of the wizards. The older ones he found in the manor library, texts written centuries ago, were openly scornful of the goblins. And after Binns had finally shuffled off to that great classroom in the sky, the goblin rebellions were no longer taught in-depth at Hogwarts.

The book had arrived during dinner, sent by owl. It was habit for them to write a short note to each other inside the book cover and this time was no different. _Nothing like a little light reading over hols! I call dibs on the book when you're finished._ Along with it Rose sent a short letter thanking him profusely for the rose bush and telling him about the wonderful time she had in Muggle London.

"Not sneaking a look at your gifts, are we?" Scorpius looked up to see his grandmother standing in the doorway, a small grin on her face.

"No. I just-- I couldn't sleep."

"Nor I," Narcissa admitted, smoothing her dressing gown as she took a seat across from him. "Refusing that second glass of wine at dinner was a mistake, I'm afraid."

Pointing towards the liquor cabinet behind him, he offered, "I could get you a drink if you want."

"That would be lovely, dear, thank you. A brandy, if you have it."

"We do." He'd memorized the contents of the liquor cabinet in his fifth year when he got the brilliant idea to smuggle some of its contents into Hogwarts for the end of the year party. Unfortunately, his dad had also memorized the contents and Scorpius' theft was soon discovered. It hadn't been one of his better plans, he had to admit.

Deciding a little alcohol might be exactly what his mood called for, Scorpius grabbed two glasses.

"I realize that with her position at the Ministry your mother has to be mindful of the political atmosphere." Scorpius braced himself for what was coming next because it surely wouldn't be good. It never was when Grandmother mentioned his mum's job. As far as Narcissa was concerned, Asteria Malfoy's work was a _"selfish indulgence"_. Her most important duties as a wife and mother were to help elevate Draco's status in society and devote herself to Scorpius. (Even if he was away at school 200 days out of the year.) Nothing else could possibly matter as much. That was what she had done for her family, and that was what she expected from her daughter-in-law.

"But I simply cannot understand why she refuses to retain even one house-elf full-time," his grandmother continued. "Her work clearly leaves her unable to manage the house; it's only sensible to have an elf or two."

Knowing that there was little he could say that _wouldn't_ lead to an argument, Scorpius chose to bite his tongue and nod. He handed her a glass. "Your brandy."

With a murmured "Thank you," Narcissa took a sip. "I worry about how your father copes with such an arrangement. You must understand, we always had house-elves. That is what he is accustomed to. It must be very stressful for him."

"He manages."

Though Scorpius had been careful to keep his voice calm and show no sign of emotion, his grandmother sensed that this wasn't a topic he wanted to discuss. "I suppose so."

It could have been worse. This had been the first time the elder Greengrasses and Malfoys had been under the same roof without an argument erupting between the two families. Usually it began when Helene or Linus (it was usually his Grandmama) glowingly talked about her other son-in-laws and how fortunate Kallisto and Daphne had been to marry so well. Uncle Benedict had been an up-and-coming politician, lauded in the American press as the future president of wizarding America. Uncle Gustave was the scion of the incredibly influential and prestigious Dauphin family and the youngest headmaster Beauxbatons had seen in over 700 years.

Then there was their other son-in-law, the former Death Eater.

At which point Lucius would point out the unfortunate tendency of the Greengrass line to produce Squibs and how it was only thanks to the superior genes of the Malfoy line that Scorpius was such a powerful wizard while Narcissa focused on Asteria's shortcomings as a wife and mother.

This year, things had been different. Years of careful management of the various sports teams he owned had borne fruit for Draco. The Quodpot team he owned had gone on to win the World Quodpot Series; two of his Quidditch teams - the Dalian Dragons and the Toyahashi Tengu - had faced-off in the Pan-Asian Quidditch Cup; and several more teams had been among the best of their respective leagues. It was not inconceivable that at least one of his teams would make it to the World Cup. For this, he was being lauded as a Quidditch genius, with complimentary articles appearing in various magazines and he even got his picture on the cover of _Wizarding World of Sports_.

Equally important when it came to the more subdued mood of Scorpius' grandparents was Uncle Benedict's recent arrest for embezzling public funds and Uncle Gustave being found in a compromising position with one of his students, a barely-legal wizard.

Suddenly, his dad was the "good" son-in-law.

"Is that the parcel you received earlier?" Narcissa asked, gesturing towards the book he had set on the table.

"Yeah. One of my friends sent it along."

Tilting her head so she could read the title, his grandmother nodded at this new bit of information. "I know you share your grandfather's love of history but I must confess, by the way you jumped up from the table earlier, I had imagined something more interesting than a history book."

He shrugged. "I've been wanting to read it for ages."

"Obviously." His grandmother answered in a smooth tone, but he knew she didn't believe him.

"It's from a friend I didn't get to see before hols."

Eyes on her brandy glass as she gently shook it, Narcissa inquired, "Would this be the young lady friend you mentioned to your grandfather?"

"He told you?" Whatever doubts he had about his impulse to tell his grandfather about his feelings for Rose suddenly vanished. Scorpius now _knew_ that had been the wrong thing to do.

"We were concerned for you. You'd been in such poor spirits all summer--"

"I can't believe he told you!" He'd been wrong before, this was the most pathetic point in his entire life. That _his grandparents_ had discussed his sad lack of a love-life left Scorpius wishing the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

"Please don't be too upset, darling. As I said, we were worried."

Scorpius slouched down in his chair, crossing his arms, looking for all the world like a petulant child. And he knew it, he just couldn't bring himself to care at the moment.

"I understand that this won't mean much coming from me, but any girl who can't see what a remarkable young wizard you are surely isn't worth so much heartache!"

A new low had been found. Who cared if Rose was off having sleepovers with her knuckle-dragging prat of a boyfriend when his grandmother thought he was a catch! In a tight voice, careful not to roll his eyes, he muttered, "She has a boyfriend already."

With a graceful flick of her wrist, she waved the comment away. "Still."

He nodded, finishing off the last of his brandy and hoping she would find another topic soon.

As if reading his thoughts, she said, "Did you know your grandfather was first betrothed to my sister, Andromeda?"

"Er, what? Really?" He didn't know Aunt Andromeda that well but the little he did know about her, he couldn't imagine a more mismatched pairing.

"Oh, yes. It was all arranged, of course. Andromeda and Lucius never got along very well," she said, a sad look in her eyes despite her smile. "It was just before their seventh year, before she met Mr. Tonks. Our families had known each other for ages - even then the Malfoys were among the wealthiest pureblood families in England. Naturally, my parents wanted one of their daughters to marry into such an upstanding family and since Andromeda and Lucius are the same age, it only made sense to them that it be her."

"I guess." He still had no clue why she was telling him this now, but it was an interesting bit of family history. "Why not you? I mean, I know Aunt Andromeda is older, but since you had feelings for him--"

His grandmother had anticipated this question. "Because they didn't know how I felt. _I_ didn't know how I felt. Until then, your grandfather had been a friend, nothing more." Narcissa paused, as if carefully considering her next words. "I had feelings for him, I just hadn't realized them. It was only when faced with the prospect of losing him that I did."

"I'm not sure--"

"What I'm trying to tell you is that no matter what you may believe, young women can be just as clueless as young men when it comes to affairs of the heart. Stubbornly so. And it's only when faced with the prospect of losing them to another woman that we can admit those feelings."

He hadn't given much thought to any other girls. He wasn't _dead_ , he knew they existed but for the past year, his life had been decidedly Rose-centric. It made a certain amount of sense, given the way his own feelings for Rose seemed stronger whenever he saw her with Finnigan. "Right."

"Well, I should head back upstairs before your grandfather wonders where I am." Standing and leaning over to kiss his forehead, she whispered, "Don't stay up too late."

"I won't."

 

~~~~~~~~

 

On January 1st, at roughly 12:24 am, Scorpius began seriously wondering if he should give up any hope of ever being able to pull a bird and just join a monastery. He already had the sex life of a monk and he heard some kept meticulous gardens; maybe his complete inability to attract the opposite sex was really a sign from above. The fact that this plan had several flaws - like him not being particularly religious, him really hoping to have sex one day, and his family expecting him to produce a few heirs - didn't matter to Scorpius at the moment.

The plan was to go to the best New Year's Eve party he could (which turned out to be fellow Slytherin Lavinia Costard's), find a nice-looking girl and make sure he was near her when it was midnight. It was a plan he had considered brilliant in its simplicity. The liquor would be free-flowing, there would be plenty of single girls and he had the perfect excuse to kiss one.

And still somehow he had buggered it up completely. He had barely talked to anyone, including Al who was animatedly discussing the medicinal purposes of dragon's blood with Ariel Bardolph, a Ravenclaw in their year. As dull as their conversation was, Scorpius hadn't been able to look away. Literally. In front of him and to his left were two couples having full-blown snog sessions. He wasn't sure if all the rooms in the Costard home were full or if this was some bizarre sporting competition he'd been previously unaware of, but if it had gone on much longer, he might be tempted to narrate it like it was a Quidditch match.

Around the time that Al and Ariel began debating the merits of St. Mungo's apprentice Healer program versus that of Notre Dame de Coeur-d'un-Géant's and the couple next to him started _moaning_ , Scorpius decided he needed a drink.

Making his way through the mass of swaying bodies and clinging couples, he felt more depressed with each one he passed. At least getting through the crowd wasn't too difficult, the blonde in front was apparently headed in the same direction as he was and doing most of the work when it came parting the sea.

She also appeared to be talking to him.

"Merlin's pinkie finger, this party was a mistake."

He looked around and behind him but, no, he was the only one going in the same direction as her.

"I hear Rynaldo Ross is having a pool party. An indoor pool party."

Scorpius certainly hoped he wasn't having an _outdoor_ pool party.

"His step-mum is a Muggleborn from California and the first thing she did after becoming the third Mrs. Salerio Ross was have an addition built on the house because she missed having a pool. Looks just like a Roman bath."

Understandable.

"You're my best friend but I may never forgive you for--" Upon reaching the bar, the blonde turned around suddenly. "Wait--"

Scorpius smiled, giving a half-hearted wave. The blonde girl, whom he now recognized as Bianca Montague, a Slytherin a year below him, ignored this and looked over his shoulder. "Where... Ugh. I am so sorry, I thought you were Portia."

Mistaken for a girl? Still not the low point of this evening. "Nope, I'm Scorpius."

"I know that. You gave me those Singing Gladiolas last year."

"I did?" A memory came to him of having successfully grown Singing Gladiolas for Herbology last year and then looking for someone to pawn them off to. They were one of the few plants he didn't care much for and Rose wouldn't take them so he handed them off to the first person to compliment him on them: Bianca. "Oh, yeah, I did."

Bianca giggled and Scorpius realized this might be the chance he'd been looking for tonight. "So, er... it sounds like you're having as much fun as I am."

"I would have been better off staying home and getting a start on my homework. I have a massive project for Divination that's due when we return that I haven't begun."

"Yeah, I have a few papers to finish."

Bianca nodded attentively and Scorpius found that he was at a complete loss of what to say. Should he continue with the school theme? Compliment her? Or was it too soon for that? And now he had waited too long and she was looking around and fidgeting with her drink.

"So, Divination. What's that like?" Maybe he could just skip the rest of the school year and join a monastery tonight.

"Erm, it's nice." He smiled but it was clearly one of those polite 'oh God why am I talking to this idiot' sort of smiles. "I like it."

"My mum did too, was one of her best subjects. She works at the Department of Mysteries, she's a Necromancer." He was babbling about his mum and he couldn't stop. For a moment he felt like he was having an out-of-body experience as he imagined what this train wreck must look like from the outside. "I always thought it was a fascinating subject but I never had much aptitude for it."

"I think it's a hard subject for some people to get into. A lot of people are so closed-minded when it comes to Divination. I can understand Muggles being skeptical, but wizards? We know there's life after death and that people divine the future and still people don't take it seriously. It's maddening."

Scorpius nodded, elated their conversation had lasted this long. "I know my mum has to deal with the same thing. People either don't take it seriously or think she's deep into the Dark Arts because she specializes in Necromancy."

"Like the Ministry would hire a Dark wizard," she responded with a roll of her eyes. Touching his arm briefly, she asked, "Do you mind if we sit? My shoes are killing me."

"No, not at all," he answered quickly, following her to a nearby couch.

"It's weird this is the first time we've ever really spoken. My dad always speaks highly of yours. He said he's a really nice guy."

"My dad? Draco Malfoy?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling at him. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"Erm..." Yes. "I just don't think 'really nice guy' is what would immediately come to mind when describing him."

"They knew each other in school, my dad was on the Quidditch team with him."

"I didn't know that."

She nodded, brow furrowing as she remembered something. "Sometimes when he talks about the past, it's hard to understand the details. He becomes confused easily. Old head injury."

That explained his opinions of Scorpius' dad. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"He does fine most days. Anyway, enough about that. So are you here by yourself or did your friends ditch you as well?"

"The latter, I believe. He was chatting up some Ravenclaw in a remarkably nerdy fashion last I saw."

Bianca leaned back onto the couch, settling in such a way that she was practically curled into him. "I think Portia ran off with her ex. He's such an obnoxious little toerag, but she's still hung up on him. I don't get it."

Not entirely sure what to say - he had no idea who Portia or her ex were - he went with the advice from _Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches_ : Be sympathetic. "Sounds like you're having a bad night."

"You don't know the half of it," she said, frowning into her drink. Long hair over her shoulder and lashes lowered, Scorpius found it hard to take his eyes off her.

Rule #1: Always listen. "Why don't you tell me?"

Looking at him out of the corner of her eye, a mischievous grin played on her lips. "For starters, I didn't even get a New Year's Eve kiss."

Scorpius blinked, so stunned that this might be working that he could hardly believe it. "Still midnight."

She moved closer to him, body touching his and chin almost on his shoulder. "Do you think it would still count?"

"Only if you want it to," he said softly, leaning in slightly and wondering who this far smoother entity was that had taken control of his brain.

"I think I do," she said, before closing the distance between them with a kiss.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

"Aren't the two of you just a little worried about your N.E.W.T.'s?" Al asked, peering at the two of them over his glasses. "Gobbo's no cream puff. The test for Transfiguration is said to be the toughest of all of them, we are way behind on what we need to cover before the end of the month and the two of you are wasting time talking about some prank."

Rose frowned. "It's January. We have five months."

Every so often, Al would temporarily lose his mind over school. It was just the way of the world. That first night, after Sorting, Al had informed Scorpius that he was going to be a Healer when he grew up. Not just any Healer, but he would _"ideally"_ become Chief of Medicine for St. Mungo's by the time he was 35 and go on to discover a cure for spattergroit. Scorpius remembered being unsure of how to respond, believing at the time that Al had to be taking the piss. A week later, when Al landed himself in the infirmary for a day after turning into a nervous wreck over a lost essay assignment, Scorpius had to concede that his new friend had been perfectly serious.

"No. We have four months, two weeks, and a day."

"Al, it's going to be fine," Rose spoke in the same soothing tones you'd use with a child that just lost their favorite toy. "You always do well on exams, there's no need to worry."

"For you! I need to do well! This is my future we're talking about and if I want to get my choice of training assignments, I have to do well." Well, as far as Scorpius knew, meant scoring straight O's on his N.E.W.T.'s. However, he was sure Al had worked out how many E's he could afford without ruining the life plan he had decided on when he was eleven. "And right now, we should be nearly done reviewing how to regrow and transform bones and _we haven't even begun_! How am I going to be a Healer if I can't fix a broken bone?"

"You already know how to do that. We all do," Scorpius responded.

"You just don't get it." Al raked his finger through his messy hair. A determined look came over his face and he stood suddenly, gathering his books and papers. "I'm going to the library to study. I can't concentrate here."

Scorpius and Rose exchanged a glance as Al retreated from the library.

"See you at dinner!" Rose called before turning to whisper to Scorpius, "I reckon I should pop over to the joke shop this weekend and pick up more Uninhibition Potion."

"That's too mean." He grinned. "Wait until after N.E.W.T.'s."

Rose smiled. "If it wasn't for the _extremely high_ potential for disaster, I'd be tempted to slip everyone some of that and make that our prank."

"We'd never be able to slip it into everyone's drinks."

"Sure we could. Are you kidding?"

She wasn't joking about this. "How?"

"The house-elves. Several of them are rather fond of me," Rose answered proudly. "And Hugo. And Lily and Al. Then there's always Kreacher who _loves_ you."

"Eurgh. Don't remind me." The first time they met, a few weeks into Scorpius' first year, the ancient house-elf had nearly wept with joy at meeting _"Mistress Narcissa's grandson"_ and the _"proper heir to the House of Black"_. He spent the next several years fawning over _"young Master"_ whenever their paths crossed. The last time Scorpius saw him, Kreacher begged that he make certain his head went next to his mother's in Grimmauld Place. For some reason Kreacher just didn't have faith that Harry would honor his wish.

After that, Scorpius went out of his way to avoid him.

"You know, my dad said he used to snog Orion Black's trousers. D'you ever wonder what he does with your laundry?"

" _No_." And he never wanted to.

"Kreacher loves young Master, oh yes he does," Rose imitated the house-elf, holding her hands in front of her as if she were holding a pair of trousers. "Kreacher dreams of his aristocratic face every night he does."

"You are a disturbed individual, Weasley."

Rose pulled the imaginary trousers closer and inhaled deeply, sighing, "Oh, young Master."

"Stop," Scorpius laughed.

"He's so devoted to you, how can you break his heart?"

"I don't date outside my own species."

"That's a very narrow view of the world."

"I can live with it," he assured her. Rose opened her mouth to respond but then closed it quickly, a strange look coming over her face. Before he had a chance to ask, a pair of slender hands were covering his eyes.

"Guess who?" It was Bianca. He'd recognize her flowery perfume a mile away and his nose was already starting to tickle.

Still, he tried to play along. "Kreacher?"

Rose laughed and Bianca made a confused sound. "Who?"

Pulling one of her hands away from his eyes, Scorpius turned towards her. "I knew it was you."

"I'd hope so," she giggled, leaning in to give him a kiss. At once, he felt both uncomfortable that Rose was sitting across from them and gratified. He'd spent months with an unwanted front-row seat for the Duncan-and-Rose show, so it was nice to finally be on the other side. Wrapping her arms around him, Bianca cooed, "I missed you, sweetie."

Scorpius turned pink at the endearment, his mind racing for something to say. "You did?"

"Of course I did!" Bianca giggled, sitting down next to him on the couch. She glanced at the coffee table where their unopened books lay. "I thought you were studying for your N.E.W.T.'s?"

"We got sidetracked by Al before he ditched us for the library," Rose supplied helpfully. Bianca looked over at her as if she hadn't realized the other girl was there, merely nodding in response before turning back towards her boyfriend.

Leaning into him as she held Scorpius' arm, Bianca beamed at him. "Guess what I did? Guess!"

"I... have no idea?"

"I got us a reservation at Madam Puddifoot's for the Saturday before Valentine's Day," she squealed happily, nails digging into his arm as she did.

"You did," he repeated, trying very hard to sound pleased. The closest he'd ever been to Madame Puddifoot's during Valentine's Day was passing by it on the sidewalk, he and Rose making fun of the patrons inside. "Wow. That's really great."

Glancing at Rose, then facing Scorpius again, Bianca frowned. "You don't sound very happy about it."

"It's a very romantic gesture," Rose piped in, lips pursed as she tried to keep a straight face and eyes bright with that familiar invitation to join in on her amusement.

Any other time he would, but Bianca was the girl he was dating and this was what he wanted. Or close enough. For now.

Looking back at Bianca, he smiled and gave her a small, chaste kiss on the lips. Softly and as sincerely as he could manage, he said, "I am. I'm just surprised, I didn't expect this."

Mollified, she pressed close to him and kissed the tip of his nose. "Well. You-" a kiss to his cheek- "had better- " his other cheek- "get used to it-" and then his chin. "I'm going to spoil you rotten," she promised before kissing him on the mouth.

He kissed back, relishing the attention from her. Dimly, he heard books and papers being shuffled and then Rose mumbled. "I should probably get going. I need to turn in my story before _The Herald_ goes to print."

Bianca broke off the kiss, smiling sweetly at the other girl. "Bye."

 

~~~~~~~~

 

"Achoo!"

"Bless y--"

"Achoo!" Scorpius wiggled his nose, still feeling as if he might sneeze. Next to him, Bianca looked on worriedly.

"You don't think you're coming down with something? Maybe we should head back--"

"I'm not sick." It was the blasted cologne she had bought him. Just as his luck would have it, the makers of Bianca's cologne made a matching fragrance for men. Less flowery but every bit as aggravating. The combination of hers (which she seemed to have bathed in) and his (which she made him put on just before his sneezing fit) was overpowering. Scorpius blinked rapidly, tears coming to his eyes.

"Are your eyes watering? Are you having an allergic reaction? Should I get some--"

"No." He stood up quickly, pulling out enough Galleons to cover their tab. "Let's just go outside. I need fresh air."

Only pausing to grab his coat, Scorpius hurried from Madam Puddifoot's, leaving Bianca behind to gather up their gifts. He felt a pang of guilt at that but spared no thought of going back to help. The only thing worse than being stuck in that gaudy pink-colored Hell, slowly being strangled by cheap perfume, was looking like he was so _overcome with emotion_ that he was crying. In public! With his classmates around!

Closing his eyes, Scorpius inhaled deeply, breathing in the cold February air. He could still catch a whiff of the cologne, but it wasn't as strong when he was outside. Still, he intended to take a shower as soon as they returned to the castle.

"Scorpius!"

He turned to see Bianca glaring at him, his cologne, her flowers, candy and teddy bear in her arms along with her coat and scarf. Stomping her foot, she demanded, "Are you going to help me or are you just going to stand there!?"

"Right." Rushing over to her, he took all the gifts from her so she could slip into her coat. Bianca took her time, carefully arranging her hair and wrapping her scarf around her neck. Scorpius was starting to feel like an idiot holding a teddy bear in the middle of the street but stifled the urge to tell her to hurry it up. As soon as she looked finished, he shoved the stuffed animal and flowers back in her arms. "Here."

Frowning, Bianca took them. "Are you feeling well?"

"I'm fine. I just want to get back to the castle. It's cold out here."

She didn't seem entirely convinced by this but she didn't say anything, instead moving her gifts over to one arm so she could link her other arm with his. Scorpius forced himself to smile at this, even though it always bugged him a little when she did it. He didn't mind being close to her but she walked so slowly that he was forced to slow down to keep in step with her.

At least the holiday had gone... Well, at least Bianca was happy. She'd been dropping hints for weeks about what she had wanted and, grateful for the suggestions, Scorpius had done bought her everything she asked. He wouldn't have had a clue what to get her otherwise, though he wished he'd had the foresight to buy her a different, milder perfume.

Their relationship itself was going pretty well. Bianca seemed happy with it and he was satisfied - or as much as he could be when he had no idea where he was going or what he was doing - only the vague sense this wasn't going the way he wanted it to. (Though Scorpius could admit, he had no idea how he wanted it to go. He really hadn't thought this far.) Small snags aside, he wasn't _unhappy_.

He missed Rose though. And Al. And free time spent alone. Bianca seemed insistent upon spending every possible moment with him and, as they were in the same House, it was hard to avoid her. His only respite was when he was in class and then Al was too focused on learning and Rose was giving him the cold shoulder. They hadn't spent any time together lately, not even to talk about the prank. It was hard to do when Bianca was always around him.

To complicate matters further, Bianca despised anyone with the last name Weasley (or Potter). He had wanted to believe it was just her jealousy towards Rose, that she saw his best friend as a threat and that (hopefully) Bianca was right about that. This theory went up in smoke last week when he saw her glaring angrily at Roxanne Weasley as both girls were leaving the Arithmancy class the they shared. When he finally asked Bianca what was going on, she revealed some strange story about the Weasley twins shoving her dad into a cabinet that led to some unknown empty space. Lost in there for weeks, he finally reappeared in fourth-floor toilet where he was discovered by several classmates including Scorpius' dad.

An incredible story, though not an impossible one Scorpius had to admit. He just wished he could ask Rose about it.

They entered the castle but rather than turning towards the stairs that would take them to Slytherin, Bianca steered them in the opposite direction.

"Where are we going?"

Giving him a coy smile, Bianca replied, "You'll see."

They ascended the stairs, going farther and farther till Scorpius became worried. They looked to be heading towards Gryffindor though he couldn't imagine why, since Bianca wouldn't want to visit anyone there. When they reached the seventh floor, Bianca lead him down a deserted corridor. He saw no doors, no other staircases, just a wall of strange portraits (including one of trolls in tutus) and a blank wall opposite that. After they had walked past the painting once, Bianca turned them around so they walked past it again.

"What are we doing?"

Turning them to walk past the painting for a third time, Bianca shushed him. He was about to ask again when a door appeared across from the painting. Bianca smiled as if she'd been expecting this.

"Wh--" Scorpius sputtered, then it dawned on him. "The Room of Requirement."

"That's right," Bianca said, taking his hand to guide him inside.

It looked just as he imagined Madam Puddifoot's would look if she ran a brothel rather than a teashop. All pink and bows, flowers and frills, with one large bed in the middle.

Still holding his hand, Bianca ducked her head shyly. "I hadn't expected all this."

"I don't believe that for a minute," he laughed.

"Maybe I expected some of this." Inching closer to him, Bianca kissed him soundly on the mouth. Surprised but certainly not displeased, Scorpius slid his arms around her waist, pressing her close as he deepened the kiss. Her fingers twined in his hair and he sighed into her mouth, every fantasy he'd ever had playing through his mind as she pressed against him.

The only problem was all his fantasies included Rose. The few fantasies he had of Bianca also included Rose. (Those were some of his favorites.) Even with his eyes closed, he couldn't completely ignore that it was Bianca in his arms. Her hair was long and straight rather than wild curls, she was too short rather than almost the same height as him, and she smelled of flowers not pumpkin and vanilla. Reality couldn't stop his mind from imagining it was Rose's tongue against his, _her_ hands moving down his back, _her_ soft sighs as he kissed _her_ neck, _her_ body against his. Though Scorpius tried, he couldn't help picturing Rose. She made every fantasy seem more vivid and more exciting, it was like the difference between walking and flying.

Despite knowing better, he was still surprised when she pulled away and Scorpius found himself looking into blue eyes instead of brown. Bianca tilted her head and gave him a curious look. "Why do you always keep your eyes closed?"

Was she a _Legilimens_? "I--I--um," he stammered, trying to think of a good reason before lamely stating, "I didn't know I did."

She seemed to think about this for a minute before smiling and shrugging it off. Leaning against him, she whispered, "I just wonder because sometimes I like to look at you."

"You do?"

"Of course." She kissed him again, smiling against his lips as she gently nudged him backwards towards the bed. He followed her movements though his mind was buzzing with questions and worries. She started unbuttoning his coat and all those thoughts melted away, replaced by the vision of Rose pushing his coat from his shoulders.

"I KNEW IT."

Triumphant, Corny Fenton burst into the room with a smug-looking Imogen Dogberry fast on his heels.

Scorpius and Bianca flew apart at the sound of a their arrival. Moving quickly, his erection dwindling but not completely gone, Scorpius hid behind his girlfriend. He couldn't see what Bianca was doing, but from the way she was crossing her arms, he knew she was angry. Trying to look for his discarded coat and keep an eye on their uninvited guests, he caught sight of Imogen smirking as she looked at their surroundings.

"Fifth one today and they just get tackier and tackier," the Ravenclaw said to her partner.

Corny shook his head, "And stupider. Most people have figured out by know that we're keeping an eye on this corridor."

"What exciting lives you lead," Bianca said waspishly. "How you both haven't dropped dead of boredom is beyond me."

"Detention!" Corny crowed triumphantly. "Both of you. This Saturday with your Head of House."

"And twenty points from Slytherin," Imogen added, smiling nastily at them.

"You're both path--" Bianca began but Scorpius grabbed her arm.

"It's not worth it. Let's just get out of here."

Gathering their things, the pair hurried out of the room. Scorpius hurriedly slid back into his coat while Bianca stomped off ahead of him, heading towards the stairs.

"Some people really need to get lives," she said loudly, obviously hoping Corny and Imogen would overhear her. Turning around towards Scorpius and speaking in her normal voice, she grumbled, "Can you believe those two? And we're the fifth couple they caught which means they have nothing better to do but try to ruin other peoples' Valentine's."

He didn't have a chance to respond before she yelled in the direction of the room, "IT'S COMPLETELY PATHETIC!"

"Just relax," he said wearily. Right now, Scorpius wanted nothing more than a cold shower and then to hide in his room and not think of how messed-up his life was or how Corny would be holding this over his head for the rest of the year.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie. I wanted us to have a special day," Bianca said, falling into step with him and taking his arm into hers.

"It was," he reassured her.

Bianca shook her head but remained quiet. Scorpius was really worried that she was going to start crying and he would have to spend the rest of the evening trying to make her feel better. But instead of crying, she looked over at him with that familiar coy smile. "What are you doing for Easter hols?"

"Nothing. Why?"

She moved closer to him. "My parents will be out of town for a few days. I was thinking you could come visit."

"Are you sure? Not that I don't want to," he added quickly when he saw the look of surprise on her face. "It's just... are you sure you want to... you know?"

Bianca giggled. "I thought that much would be obvious."

"I didn't want to presume anything. We haven't been going out for that long."

"Do you think it's too soon?"

"I didn't say that!"

They reached the first floor and Bianca turned to face him. "I haven't felt this way about anyone and I'm very sure I want to be with you for a long time."

Scorpius nodded, very careful not to show how flustered he was by this.

Bianca seemed to notice anyway. "If you're not ready, I understand. I know--"

"It's not that," he said, his own pride not letting him reveal otherwise. "It's just... I'm surprised."

He wasn't, not when he thought about it. He just didn't know what to say. On the one hand: they were involved, Bianca did care for him and was attracted to him, and Scorpius liked that. And he did care for her and was attracted to her, just not quite on the same level as her feelings. (And even if he was still in love with Rose and still thought about her constantly.) But Bianca wasn't asking him for that, was she? It's not like she was in love with him or wanted to marry him. She didn't expect that much and on some level, Scorpius felt like he'd be absolutely mental to refuse sex with a pretty girl who was mad about him.

On the other hand: it was completely wrong and a cruddy thing to do to someone.

"You don't have to answer now," she said softly. "Just promise me you'll think about it?"

He nodded. "I will."

 

~~~~~~~~

 

"Are you sure about this?" Scorpius asked, nervously looking around the darkened corridor.

"More sure than I've been about anything in my life," Rose answered, pushing him up against the wall before kissing him again. It was brilliant and wonderful and everything he imagined it would be. Her lips parted, deepening the kiss while her hands roamed down his chest, pulling his robes open. He couldn't help the sigh that escaped his mouth when she started kissing his neck, her hands working at loosening his tie.

"I've always felt the same way," she whispered, pulling away to look at him. Behind her, the morning sun was pouring through the windows; in the golden glow, Rose looked like an angel. Leaning in, she trailed soft kisses along his jaw as her hands drifted lower, stopping to rest at his belt. "Let me touch you."

In one smooth movement, he turned them around so she was up against the wall, sliding his robe off in the process. Rose wrapped one leg around him, pressing his body against hers as they kissed. He thrust against her, the feeling so incredible he couldn't resist even as the fears of being caught (they were supposed to be on patrol) and the guilt over Bianca (he should have broken it off with her ages ago) came to mind. Rose moaned in his ear, a sound that went straight to his groin and her nails dug into his skin, egging him on. With that, all other thoughts disappeared and his world narrowed to the incredible, amazing woman in his arms. The way she sounded, how she looked, the way she felt; nothing else existed.

They moved against each other like that till they found a rhythm. Scorpius only pulled apart from her, to unbutton the rest of her blouse, hands sliding over her soft skin. "You're beautiful," he murmured, gently tracing the curve of her breast before cupping it fully. Rose whimpered softly at the touch, leaning in to kiss him again, her breath hot against his lips.

"SCORPIUS!"

He jumped at the familiar voice, pulling Rose closer to try to cover her while looking around for whoever had called his name.

Then Scorpius saw him.

Standing right in front of them, dressed head-to-toe in a purple robe decorated with gold stars, a preternaturally calm look on his face was Albus Dumbledore. Despite having been dead for 25 years, he looked very much corporeal and utterly unperturbed at finding two students frotting in the halls.

"What--what..." Scorpius turned to look at Rose, who looked completely calm considering a dead headmaster was standing there staring at them. Dumbledore, still not saying anything, dug around his pocket before pulling out something small and handing it to Scorpius.

It was a lemon drop.

"I don't--"

"SCORPIUS!"

He jolted awake, one hand groping a pillow and heart pounding wildly. Leaning against one of the bedposts, with a cross look on his face, was Al. "You sleep like the dead."

"What?" Scorpius asked dumbly, so thankful for thick blankets and his tendency to sleep on his stomach. "What's going on?"

"The match? Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff? The one you wanted to go to--"

"Yeah, yeah. I remember." He looked around for his watch. "What time is it? When does th--"

"Match starts at twelve and it's now quarter to," Al said, walking over to his own bed.

"Right. Thanks."


	3. Chapter 3

He should have broken up with Bianca weeks ago.

Next to him, she shifted in her seat, giving a very loud sigh. This was Scorpius' invitation to ask her what was wrong, he knew that. He just didn't care. She was still angry about the row they had before they arrived. Bianca had seen him leaving and asked where he was going. When he told her, she became upset. Over the past couple of weeks she'd become increasingly possessive and despite Scorpius hardly speaking to Rose (not for lack of trying) Bianca was unhappy that he wanted to go to the match today. When she had told him she didn't feel like going, Scorpius informed her he wasn't asking for her company. That had only made things worse and his attempts to get away from her ended with her joining him.

He really should have broken up with her weeks ago.

The only thing that had stopped him from breaking up with her today was that Scorpius knew it would take a while and he didn't want to be late. After last night's dream, the only thing he could think about was Rose.

Trying his best to ignore his not-for-much-longer girlfriend, Scorpius kept his eyes on the match. The Hufflepuffs had just pulled off a passable Porksoff Ploy (he'd done better) and Cauldwell had launched the Quaffle at Gryffindor's goal only to have it blocked by Corny. While watching that prat doing anything well gnawed at Scorpius, he had to laugh at the look on Rose's face when the jumped-up jerk usurped her role. After all this time, he doubted she could be surprised by anything Corny did. He knew he couldn't. This hard-gained wisdom didn't prevent her, however, from calling her team-mate a "bloody fucking wanker.”

The distance was too great for him to _hear_ her say this, but Scorpius had seen her say it enough to know. She seemed to relish saying the word “fuck” in any and all variations. Her upper lip would curl, showing off her two front teeth that were still slightly bigger than the rest despite all the dental work, and she would ball her hands into fists. As weird as it was, he always thought it was endearing when she would swore.

Bianca huffed next to him, her elbow knocking into his as she shifted again. "I don't understand why this match depends on you Seekers. It's so stupid."

There was so much wrong with that sentence, he almost didn't know where to begin. Almost. "I'm not a Seeker."

"You're not?" She looked up at him, brows furrowed.

"I'm a Chaser."

Bianca rolled her eyes. "Same thing."

"No, they're quite different."

"You turn everything into an argument."

"I--" He bit back the rest of his words. He would break up with her today, he'd put this off for too long. Right after Valentine's Day, Scorpius had realized he had to end this thing. She was obviously more serious about this relationship and it was wrong to lead her on. The only reason he'd waited this long was because it seemed cruel to break up with someone right after Valentine's. So he decided he would wait a week and then do it. Just before the week was up, she received word from home that her beloved cat of thirteen years, Beedle, had died. So he waited some more, hoping that two weeks would be long enough to mourn a pet. He assumed it was if she could get on his case about a bloody Quidditch match.

So lost in thought was he, Scorpius was taken off-guard when the crowd roared.

"Smith and Mowbray are both in a race for the Snitch," Harry Page said excitedly, jumping up and down in the commentator's box as he did. The Hufflepuff seeker sped off in the distance with the Gryffindor seeker just behind her while the rest of Smith's team, seeing this as their chance to tie or win the game, focused on goals. In an obviously coordinated move, the three Hufflepuff Chasers worked together, two of them trying to deflect the attention of the Beaters and pass Quaffles while Cauldwell tried to shoot goals.

"It's sister versus sister as Molly and Lucy Weasley face-off!" Page shouted as Lucy dodged the Bludger coming her way in time to pass a Quaffle to Cauldwell. From where Scorpius sat, it looked like a soft hit especially coming from Molly Weasley. He'd seen her knock blokes twice _his_ size off their brooms.

"Smith and Mowbray are still chasing the Snitch while Rose Weasley deflects the Quaffle again and again," Page paused as Cauldwell lobbed the Quaffle at the goals for a third time only to have Rose hit it back, right into Corny's waiting arms. "And again!"

Not wasting any time, Corny tucked the Quaffle under his arm and flew across field, the Hufflepuff Chasers hot on his heels.

Scorpius wasn't sure what happened next, because he found his eyes drawn to Rose. Perched on her broom, her hair a mess and her face still flushed, she looked tired but happy. The entire effect was quite fetching. He kept hoping she might turn and see him but she never did.

"And it's all over, folks! Smith has caught the Snitch but not in time to save the match for Hufflepuff! Final score is 310 to 300! Congratulations, Gryffindor!"

A cheer erupted from the Gryffindor crowd around them; and next to him, Al lept up from his seat and glanced at Scorpius. "I'm heading down, you coming?"

"Sure," he replied, but before he could stand, Scorpius felt a restraining hand on his arm. He arched an eyebrow at Bianca.

"Where are you going?"

"To congratulate Gryffindor for winning?"

"Why? You're just going to see Rose, aren't you?"

"As she's my friend, yes, I am."

Bianca removed her hand, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him. "Fine. But don't expect me to be here when you come back."

"I won't," he replied coolly before turning to leave.

As he reached the bottom of the steps, Scorpius saw a small crowd of people on the pitch. Mostly members of the Gryffindor team along with their friends and family. He spotted Al as he stood with his Aunt Audrey and Lucy, from the looks of it, Scorpius guessed that Al was trying to reassure his cousin. (Lucy looked too annoyed to care.)

He couldn't see Rose anywhere but if he had to guess, he'd wager she was somewhere in the small sea of red-headed people and Gryffindor team members. Unsurprisingly, it looked like most of her family had turned out for the match, the Gryffindor team being half-Weasley. Scorpius passed her Uncle Percy who was guiding a churlish-looking Molly towards her mum and sister. A few steps more and he spotted the Potters and, as he expected, Rose's mum and dad right next to them.

But Rose was nowhere to be seen.

She may have already headed to the showers. Scorpius would be willing to wait, he just wouldn't have any good explanation for why he did other than wanting to see her. Not that he would let that stop him. Turning and fully intending to wait all afternoon if that's what it took, he stopped dead in his tracks when he caught sight of Rose.

In Finnigan's arms.

Her arms around his neck and his around her waist, Finnigan had lifted her clear up off the ground and she was beaming at him in a way that made Scorpius' heart ache.

He looked away when the couple kissed, though not as quickly as he should have. His eyes had lingered on the pair and he couldn't help but wonder: What would it be like to just kiss her with abandon in front of everyone and not care? Would she ever look at him the same way? Did she ever, even if only for a brief while, feel the same way about him? Could she? Would he ever be able to hold her that close, tell her everything he wanted to? Scorpius couldn't help but think he deserve this in some way for wasting so much time, his and Bianca's, while he tried to screw up his courage.

Shoving his fists in his pockets he glanced up again at Rose and Finnigan, knowing he should walk away but unable to make his feet move. When Scorpius looked away again, he did so just in time to catch Rose's father watching him. Heat flooding his face, he wondered if Mr. Weasley had figured out his feelings for Rose. Though the look on Mr. Weasley's face was inscrutable, he just knew the other man could read him like a book.

Arms wrapped around each other, Rose and Finnigan walked off the field. Not even thinking, Scorpius followed. He had no idea what he was going to say. He just missed seeing her, missed talking to her and wanted her to spend time with him and not see Finnigan anymore. Maybe he would say all that and damn the consequences!

Before he could do that, however, he ran into a brick wall in the form of Rose's father. Literally.

"Sorry, sir, I was just going to see Rose--"

"I know. Maybe you could give her-- _them_ some space, yeah?"

Scorpius knew exactly what Mr. Weasley was trying to say. Humiliated that he was so easy to read, he couldn't do much more than nod. "Right, yeah."

Mr. Weasley's expression seemed to soften, if only a fraction. "It's just Duncan hasn't had a chance to see her in a while, and Rosie's mum and I were going to take her out afterwards, to celebrate. Maybe you could catch up with her later?

Scorpius nodded, trying to act nonchalant and hoping he wasn't totally failing at it. "Good plan."

Mr. Weasley nodded, giving him a small pat on the shoulder before returning to where his wife stood. Without another glance towards them or Rose, Scorpius made his way back to the castle.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

Scorpius tried not to wince as Madam Pomfrey applied balm to the cut above his right eye. Part of him wished he hadn't bothered going to the infirmary at all, as most of the hexes and jinxes had been simple enough that he could reverse them. He'd just been so anxious to get as far away from Bianca as he could that he hadn't thought to undo any of them but the Jelly-Legs Jinx.

"There," she murmured. "That should do it. You're free to stay here as long as you like."

"Thanks." There was no reason for him to stay; he wasn't badly injured at all and his skin no longer looked like cornflakes. Still, he made no effort to move, in no hurry to return to Slytherin.

He had finally broken it off with Bianca and it had gone about as well as he had expected. She had sobbed, asking him question after question. So many that he finally tripped up at one point: when she asked if he had feelings for another girl. Bianca had wanted to know who it was and Scorpius had tried to take it back but she correctly guessed that he was lying. That's when she started throwing hexes and jinxes, too many for him to block. (The wench had started off with Impedimenta.)

Lying back on his pillow, he decided to rest before returning to Slytherin. If he planned this right, he could avoid her for the entire day.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

"Poor dear. I'm told when he learned his mark for the lesson, he started hyperventilating."

Scorpius opened his eyes, at first surprised by the unfamiliar surroundings till he remembered where he was and why. He looked around for any sign of what time it was and found Al instead, one bed over. Glassy-eyed and smiling, if Scorpius had to guess he'd say his friend had just been given a Calming Draught.

"Al?" No response. In a louder tone he tried again, "Al? Al! AL!"

Flopping his whole body around like a marionette, Al looked over at him and smiled. "Oh, hi, Scorpius! How are you?"

Stifling a laugh, Scorpius bit his lip and nodded. "I'm fine."

"I heard about what happened with Bianca." Al nodded emphatically and for a little longer than necessary. "I'm sorry, mate, but it's for the best, right?"

"Yeah. What happened to you?"

"Potions."

"This happened in Potions?"

"No, no," Al giggled, falling quiet for a moment as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Al? Al!"

Looking over again, his green eyes unusually wide behind his glasses, Al stared blankly at Scorpius. "Hmm?"

Scorpius knew he'd be better off just asking Madam Pomfrey, but this conversation was entertaining him too much not to continue. "What happened in Potions?"

"I did awful. Yeah. Bletchley gave us these projects, we had to make Wolfsbane Potion."

"That's incredibly difficult to make."

"Hmm."

After a moment's silence, Scorpius was ready to ask more questions but he didn't need to. Waving his hand in the air and making a loose circle, Al continued unprompted, "Weeks and weeks I worked on the Wolfsbane and in the end, barely acceptable! _Barely acceptable!_ "

"That's rubbish."

"That's my future as a Healer," Al answered dreamily, eyes fixed on the ceiling once again.

"Come off it, will you? A 'barely acceptable' from Bletchley is like an 'outstanding' from a normal human being."

Another "hmm" but Al drew this one out till like humming some odd tuneless song. Scorpius wasn't sure whether to laugh or call for Madam Pomfrey. He'd never seen Al right after he'd had a Calming Draught (something that had been given to him a couple times before during his seven years at Hogwarts) but he'd heard from Rose it was hysterical. The humming grew softer and softer until Scorpius was sure Al had nodded off to sleep.

"Oi!"

Not quite.

As if startling awake, Al looked around at first to his left where there were only rows of empty beds. "Oi!"

"Al?" Scorpius was about to get out of his bed to make sure his friend was all right. Al rolled over to look at him, moving so quickly he nearly fell out of bed, just barely catching himself.

"Oi! After this, you and I should go out and get pissed," he said with an affirmative nod, glasses askew and hair more of a mess than usual.

Scorpius laughed. "I don't know if that's a good idea, mate, you're kinda off your head at the moment."

"Pfft." He made a ridiculous almost fish-like face as he drew the sound out, his cheeks puffed and and lips curled. "This? It'll wear off in an hour."

"If you say so."

"You and me, Three Broomsticks, what d'you say? We'll get stinkin' pissed and forget about birds or lessons or any of that bollocks."

Certain there wasn't a chance that Al would be sobered up enough to go drink and that, if he was, he'd probably want to study, Scorpius acquiesced. "You're on."

 

~~~~~~~~

 

Much to his surprise, exactly three hours after that conversation, Scorpius found himself walking up to the entrance of The Three Broomsticks with a completely sober Al beside him.

"Sure you're up for this?"

"Yeah, why not? Was I that out of it earlier?"

Scorpius laughed. "You don't remember?"

"I never do. I think that's another side-effect of the potion."

"Good. Rose and I were reading about this Japanese wizard who figured out a way to project pensieve memories using mirrors. Like Muggle movies. We were going to collect all our memories of you high as a kite on that stuff and show the highlights at your party when you inevitably get hired with St. Mungo's." Scorpius wasn't entirely joking about this, it was something he and Rose had talked about before.

"I'm so lucky," Al said dryly, reaching the door first and pushing it open.

"That you are."

The Three Broomsticks was crowded tonight, smoke and the smell of liquor hitting them as soon as they stepped inside. Over the din of the crowd, Scorpius could hear someone drunkenly crooning, "Her eyes they shone like the diamonds, I thought her queen of the land. And her hair hung over her shoulders, tied up with a black velvet band."

Scorpius shot Al a look and all the dark-haired boy could do was shrug as the crowd parted to reveal Finnigan and Rose. She was laughing at him as he continued singing, arm around her shoulders. Surrounding them were other members of the Weasley and Potter clan: James and Fred to the right and Hugo and Louis to the left.

"Sorry," Al said quietly. "When James mentioned meeting up, it sounded like it was just going to be family."

"Finnigan pretty much is, isn't he?" Scorpius spat out bitterly, surprising himself with his anger.

"We could head over to the Hog's Head--"

"Scorpius! Al!" Rose shot up so quickly, Finnigan nearly fell over. With a parting glance towards the group, she warned James, "No Firewhiskey for these two." Rose pointed towards her brother and Louis "They're underage."

Ignoring Hugo's protests, she left to greet Al and Scorpius, hugging them both. Giving a lopsided grin as she embraced him, Rose whispered in Scorpius' ear, "I was hoping to see you tonight. Heard about you and Bianca."

He chuckled, wanting to keep her close but letting go after giving her a loose hug and an awkward pat on the back. "You and half the school, I reckon."

"You can do better," Al piped in sympathetically.

"I never liked her," Rose admitted, wrinkling her nose as she did. "Too clingy."

"You think so?" Suddenly, Scorpius was very interested in hearing her post-mortem analysis of his relationship.

He wouldn't get that chance, however, as Finnigan strode over to the group at just that moment, placing an arm around Rose's shoulders.

"I think you're blocking the bar. If you're staying, why don't you come sit down?"

Rose smiled expectantly at the pair. "Of course they're staying, we have to celebrate Fred's new job."

"Congrats," Al said as they came up to table. At Scorpius' quizzical look, he leaned in to explain, "Fred just got hired by Gringott's as their new Curse Breaker."

"Nice."

"Thanks." Fred grinned. While not quite as drunk as Finnigan, he was getting there. "Hey, sorry about your bird. Rose was telling us all about it."

Scorpius looked over at Rose who blushed, shrugging as much as Finnigan's arm would allow. Looking back towards Fred, Scorpius shook his head. "Don't be, I'm not."

"Ha! That's the spirit."

"Coming through!" James called as he moved through the crowd carrying two enormous tankards of beer. He set one down in front of Fred and kept its twin for himself.

"Are you sure those aren't pitchers?" Al exclaimed, eyeing the mammoth mug and looking ready to start a lecture on the responsible drinking. "Christ, it's huge. I don't know how one person can take that much in."

Instinctively, Scorpius met Rose's eyes across the table and they mouthed the words just as James said them: "That's what she said!"

Still snickering at his joke, James plopped down next to Fred. "Took me a bit. They were taking the piss out of some idiot who wore orange."

"Aren't you glad I reminded you not to wear my Cannons's shirt?" Finnigan said to Rose, pulling her close and smiling into her hair. "Good thing too, you look damn fit in that sweater."

She did too, the dark green color looked great on her and it hugged her body, not hiding her curves. Scorpius frowned at once again having front row seats to the Duncan-and-Rose show. As he pulled her in for a kiss, Finnigan's hand was perilously close to Rose's breast and Scorpius fought the urge to hit him with a well-aimed Stupefy.

"Ugh, Finnigan, please." James grimaced. "I don't intend to puke my guts for another three or four hours, so stop mauling my cousin."

Scorpius had never been so grateful for James Potter's existence before. Rose stuck her tongue out at her cousin while Finnigan laughed good-naturedly.

"They really go all out for the day," Louis commented, looking at the green shamrocks on the mugs.

"Been this way since McLaggen took over," Fred replied. "Personally, I liked it better when Rosemerta ran it."

"So did I." James voice took on a wistful tone. "She was fit. For an old bird."

While his brother looked over at him in surprise, Rose shook her head and laughed. "You're serious?"

"It's true!"

"She's the same age as Grandmum!" Rose cried.

"Doesn't look it. Not close."

Fred nodded. "Got a point there."

"Look, I'm not saying I'd fly down to Ibiza or wherever it is she went."

Smirking, Scorpius asked, "Been keeping tabs, have ya?"

Only acknowledging the barb with a quirk of his eyebrow and a wider grin, James continued, "But she was a good-looking woman and I'd much rather be staring at her over my pint than McLaggen."

"Can't blame her for leaving though. Been running this place for decades," Finnigan pointed out, arm still stubbornly around Rose. "And that's after everything she's been through. Not many people would stick around to fight after spending a year under Imperius."

Never quite sure what to do at moments like these, Scorpius averted his eyes. First, he glanced around the tavern, barely listening to the ensuing conversation between James and Finnigan, then down at the table. Glancing up in time to find Rose giving him a worried look, Scorpius said to everyone, "I'm heading up to the bar to grab a drink. Anyone want anything?"

"I'll take a beer," Al said.

Louis raised his empty bottle. "Another Butterbeer?"

"Me too," Hugo added, with a wistful look at his sister's glass of Firewhiskey.

"Anyone else?" Scorpius glanced at Rose.

"We're good." Finnigan answered.

It was a petty thing to do, Scorpius knew it, but he ignored Finnigan's comment. He hadn't been asking him anyway. "Rose?"

With a surprised expression, Rose shook her head. "No, I'm good."

Disappointed at that, having wanted something that would give him the upper-hand on Finnigan, Scorpius just nodded before heading off towards the bar. The wait was short; McLaggen had a barmaid working the bar with him so the orders went quickly. It wasn't long at all before he had the four drinks and was back at the table just in time to hear Rose and Finnigan discuss previous outings.

"We spent _ages_ at the museum last time," Finnigan protested.

"Ages?" She turned in her seat to look directly at her boyfriend. "It was little more than an hour."

"It's a _museum_! How much is there to see?"

"Which one?" Scorpius asked.

Finnigan looked annoyed at the interruption, but Rose didn't seem to mind. "The Imperial War Museum in London."

Scorpius nodded, about to mention his visit a few years back when Duncan interjected, "Muggle museum. You probably don't know it."

"I've been there."

"Really? A _Muggle_ museum?" Rose must have kicked him under the table because Finnigan gave a surprised yelp, spinning to glance at her quickly then looking back at Scorpius. "No offense, mate, just most people who know about Muggle things are Half-bloods or Muggle-borns."

"And me, looks like." Scorpius forced a half-smile, not sure if Finnigan was fishing for something or if it was his own sour mood coloring his perception.

"Oi, Al," Louis leaned over the table to nudge his cousin's arm. "I forgot to tell you, I spoke to Victoire earlier. There's been a lot of talk in her department about sending Healers and apprentice Healers to Prague this summer. I told her to get in touch with you about it. Don't know if it's something you're interested in or not."

"It's disgusting what's been happening there." Rose frowned. "I read in _The Wizarding Times_ that there are almost no Healers left in Prague. People think Koschei's group is only after Muggle-borns, but they're targeting anyone who opposed them, starting with the more prominent citizens."

"Well, yeah, he wants to get rid of anyone who could raise a group against him. That means the rich, the powerful, the educated," Al ticked the groups off with his fingers. "He might even go after Quidditch players next, I hear."

After flagging down a barmaid, James turned to the group to add, "He's already taken over their Ministry."

Each of them could rattle off the crimes committed by Koschei and his followers; the atrocities had made headlines all over wizarding Europe. His rise to power had been sudden and, by Christmas, complete. With the Czech Republic under control, it was said he was looking east. He was said to have many followers in Eastern Europe and wanted to put the entire area from his base in Prague to Durmstrang in northwestern Russia by this time next year. There was no telling what would happen if Koschei did succeed but few believed his claims that he would back down.

Looking around the table, Finnigan declared, "We should go fight them."

The table fell momentarily quiet till Scorpius broke the silence. "Can we finish our drinks first?" Everyone at the table, save for Finnigan, broke into a nervous laughter.

"I'm serious. We should go fight them. There's no reason we can't. We are the children of Dumbledore's Army after all." A quick, dismissive glance towards Scorpius. "Most of us, anyway."

A dozen retorts, each one nastier than the last, came to mind, but Scorpius bit his tongue.

"Not a bad idea," James mused. "I've got tons of training with the Aurors, Fred's an expert on curses, Al's almost a Healer. Lots of talent."

"So you speak Czech?" Scorpius asked archly, glaring at Finnigan.

"No, but--"

"Russian then, that would work too, since Koschei and his followers all went to Durmstrang."

"I don't need to speak Russian to say _Expelliarmus_."

"No, but it might help if you want to know when a Killing Curse is coming your way. Latin isn't the universal language for spellwork out east. They know it, but Durmstrang also teaches the Slavic and Greek versions that most people prefer for their day-to-day work." Scorpius was never before so happy that his parents had taken him on tours of Durmstrang several years ago. There was never any serious plan for him to go to school there, but they had wanted to appease Grandfather who was rather insistent upon it. "That's not all they teach either. You really think _Tarantallegra_ will be enough when the average Durmstrang student knows spells that can pull your bowels out through your mouth?"

With a smirk towards James, Finnigan joked, "Looks like we have our Dark Arts expert here." When he nodded at Scorpius, all trace of amusement had vanished. "Should have guessed you'd know a little something about that, given your family's history."

"Duncan!" Rose cried. Scorpius was both gratified for this and angry that she didn't do more. Like dump Finnigan on the spot.

"Don't worry about it," Scorpius replied, false lightness in his tone and trying to smile rather than snarl at Finnigan. "My fault really, I should have never expected Finnigan was serious about actually going to fight."

"Are you calling me a coward?"

"One of the brave and the bold? Certainly not," Scorpius drawled, his upper lip curling with the next words. "It's just no wonder you're looking for something to get you some glory after the season the Cannons have had. Not your fault, the idea that some fresh-out-of Hogwarts rookie could undo years of mismanagement was always ridiculous."

"Why don't you shut your face, Malfoy?!"

He sneered, taking a vicious pleasure in Finnigan's reaction. " _No offense_ , meant, of course. Why, you've already done wonders for the team. I hear the Cannons have gone up in their ranking. You're what, 58 out of 59 this year? Just ahead of the Backwater All-Stars. Well done, Finnigan."

"Maybe we should calm down," Al said, hands out as he looked back and forth between the two. Scorpius barely heard him, because it was the frown on Rose's face and the words she said next that had his attention.

"That's really not fair, Scorpius."

Finnigan was momentarily mollified by her words but it didn't last for long. "Why don't you and I go outside and settle this?"

Rose slapped his arm. "You will not!"

He ignored this, smirking at Scorpius. "Unless you're scared. I know fighting isn't exactly a Slytherin's style."

"Why should I be scared? I could always Transfigure myself into a Snitch, you'll never get me then."

"If you're not scared, then let's go," Finnigan challenged, standing up from his seat.

Slamming her hand down on the table, Rose glowered at them. "You two stop this--"

A loud crash from the bar cut off the rest of her words. Turning, Scorpius saw a jet of red light from someone's wand hit one of the windows, shattering the glass. The noise grew louder as more people, included McLaggen who leaped over the bar at that point, joined the fray. At the center of the commotion appeared to be a fight between one ruddy-faced bald fellow and a man in an orange sweater.

Ready to play Auror, James stood up from his seat. "I should go see what's going on over there. Everything's okay here, yeah?"

"We're just about to leave," Rose said decisively, her tone and the set of her face broaching no arguments. Finnigan, still standing and still looking sullen, nodded.

"You should head back too," she said to her brother and cousin. "It's late and you have early classes."

"Yes, Mum."

Rose ignored this, glancing at Al and Scorpius. "Night."

"Night," Al replied. Scorpius didn't respond but it didn't matter, Rose didn't wait. Taking Finnigan's arm, the two walked out of the tavern.


	4. Chapter 4

Sitting on the edge of the fountain, Scorpius found himself struck with the same questions he always was when he saw the fountain: Why couldn't they come up with anything better and why did they leave out the merpeople, _again_? Like its predecessor, the Fountain of Magical Brethren featured a witch and wizard along with a centaur, goblin and house-elf. As an "improvement" on the first version, the five figures seemed to be in a "V" formation as if setting out to fight together. Naturally, the witch and wizard were in the forefront, leading the way, with the other three figures making up the flank. Yet again, no merpeople had been included and he had never found out why.

"Bit of a crock, isn't it?" Came a familiar voice. He turned and smiled at the witch standing behind him. Dressed elegantly in burgundy robes with heels that made her nearly as tall as Scorpius, her dark hair pulled up and wearing the diamond-and-garnet earrings Dad had bought for her years ago was the person he'd been waiting to see.

"Mum, hey," he said, giving her a hug. Asteria Malfoy kissed his cheek and then, ignoring Scorpius' aggrieved sigh and the eye-rolling that went with it, pulled out a handkerchief to dab at the bit of lipstick she left behind.

"Hello, dearest. I hope you weren't waiting too long?"

"No, I was running late anyway. Ready to go? I got us reservations at _Le Plat_ for dinner."

"You did?" Asteria beamed, those hazel eyes identical to his own suddenly misty. "You and your father spoil me so."

"You deserve it. What did Dad say when you told him?" Scorpius was really curious about how his grandparents would take the news about his mum's promotion. He doubted it, or anything, would be enough to change Grandmother's mind. However, it would be difficult to say Asteria wasn't doing enough to elevate the Malfoy name now that she was Head of the Department of Mysteries.

"That he wanted to take me on a trip somewhere to celebrate. I'm hoping it's Tahiti," she said, sighing softly. "And I believe he already has designs on me becoming the next Minister for Magic."

Scorpius laughed, "Anyone would be better than Fulmar Puffling. The _Daily Prophet_ is calling him the second coming of Fudge."

"I don't think he's quite that hopeless. Though he's no Shacklebolt, I must admit." She paused in their walking, lightly touching his arm as she did. "Do you mind if we sit here a bit. I need a fag and we can't smoke in the lifts."

"No, it's fine." He waited as his mum pulled out a small engraved cigarette case and, using the point of her wand, lit her cigarette. "Stressful day?"

"Not really, unless you count that last meeting which will definitely make or break my career here," she replied, a wry smile playing on her lips. Before he could ask, Asteria added, "If you want to talk about the next Minister for Magic, look no further than Hermione Weasley."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes." Her voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. "I can't go into details, of course, but I just left a meeting with her. She's about to embark on something quite unprecedented. Should it work out, it would make the perfect stepping stone to that first floor office. Not that she's doing it for that reason, of course."

Now he was dying to know what it was but Scorpius knew he couldn't ask too many questions about his mum's job. "And it involves your department?"

"Not quite. At least not yet. How do I explain this?" She fell quiet for a few moments, gathering her thoughts as she took a drag from her cigarette. "For now we're discussing a sort of _quid pro quo_ arrangement. Unlike the others, the Department of Mysteries doesn't fall under the purview of the Department of Law Enforcement. Something that has always created a fair bit of resentment and friction between the two. For Ms. Weasley's... project, for lack of a better word, she'll need help from the Department of Mysteries. In return, we'll be able to maintain our autonomy but ideally create a more harmonious relationship with her department as well."

He was certain that, should he eventually find out what was transpiring this would make much more sense. For now, however, all Scorpius could do was nod. "Right."

Asteria laughed. "If it works out as planned, you'll probably be reading about it in the papers. And if it doesn't, you definitely will."

"It'll work out in the end."

"Let's hope so." Pulling out a mirror, she Transfigured it into an ashtray, flicking her ashes into there. "They need more ashtrays here. So how are you, dear? You haven't been spending your entire holiday inside that musty old house, have you?"

Scorpius shrugged. "The professors gave us loads of homework. I have three projects due when I return."

None were due _right after_ he returned. Two were due a week after; the third the following week. The work kept him busy though and he was certain when he returned to Hogwarts, he could find something else to take up his time.

His mum looked doubtful. "How are Al and Rose? Haven't seen any owls from them lately."

"Busy. Al's spending the holiday catching up on his coursework." And driving himself barking mad if those last few days before hols were any indication. One way or another, Scorpius was sure his friend would find himself in St. Mungo's when they were done with Hogwarts.

"And Rose?"

Another shrug. "I guess she's busy too." He didn't really know, they hadn't spoken much in the week before Easter break.

Looking at him with concern, Asteria asked, "You two didn't have a falling out, did you?"

That was the problem, he'd spent so little time with Rose these past few weeks he didn't even know if they had and if so, why! Sighing, he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Not exactly."

"Perhaps you should send her an owl. Or even better, go visit."

"Mum."

"I don't mean to nag. It's just that you and Rose used to be so close, seems odd that you're not keeping in contact. That's all."

There was something in the way she said that, the way she quickly averted her eyes at the last part, that made him suspicious. "You haven't been talking to Grandmother and Grandfather, have you?"

"No more than absolutely necessary, why?"

"So they didn't say anything about..." His voice trailed off as he made a useless gesture with his hands, trying to convey the rest without saying it.

"Anything about what? I'm afraid I'm not following you, dear."

"Nothing, never mind." He really didn't feel like bringing it up again.

"Is this about Rose?"

Pausing where he stood on the stairs, Scorpius turned to look at her. "They did tell you!"

"Tell me what? Scorpius, if every single dinner and shared holidays -" she let out a great sigh with this word " - weren't any indication of the _tense_ relationship I have with your grandparents, then let me make it clear for you: we really don't talk unless absolutely necessary. Now, is there something going on with you and Rose?"

"No." Unfortunately.

As if reading his mind, Asteria gave a small grin. "But you wish there was." The grin disappeared completely a second later, replaced by a look of shock. "You told your grandparents this?"

"No! Not about it being Rose, I mean."

"I should hope not."

"The rest, sort of came up one day when I was talking with Grandfather, then he told Grandmother and how did you know about this if neither told you?"

She gave him a sly look. "Contrary to the old saying, dead men _do_ tell tales."

"What? Really?!" Scorpius couldn't believe that she'd spend her time at work talking about her son but then who knows what spirits want to discuss when you summon them?

"No, of course not. Honestly, dear, don't you think I've noticed the way you talk about her? Or the way you light up whenever she writes" Brushing a stray lock of hair from his eyes, she added, "I don't need any form of Divination to see what's right in front of me."

Cheeks darkening, he ducked his head, pulling away from her. "Yeah, well, it doesn't matter. She's involved with someone else."

"I'm sorry," she said tenderly. "Have you told her how you feel?"

Scorpius' head shot up and he seriously wondered if every single person in his family was incapable of hearing the words “she involved with someone else.” "No. She doesn't feel the same way about me, anyway."

"She's told you this?"

"No, but she's with someone else."

Cigarette finished, Asteria did away with the butt and ashes with a muttered, "Evanesco" then turned the ashtray back to its original form. They sat in silence for a few moments and one look told him his mum was choosing her next words carefully. "I realize this is something you've given a lot of thought to and I have _no doubt_ you know Rose's heart better than I, but are you certain _not_ telling her is the wisest course?"

"It won't change anything."

She seemed to consider this. "Maybe, maybe not. I can't promise anything of course when it comes to her feelings but maybe it will help you."

He could not fathom how it could possibly help to tell Rose how he felt and have her reject him. Something that must have been evident from the look of disbelief on his face because Asteria clarified. "You won't have 'what if' hanging over your head. At the very least, you can know you tried."

After all this time, that's what it really came down to, wasn't it? He couldn't moon after Rose forever, he had to do something. "I suppose you're right." Standing, he held out a hand to help her. "Ready to leave?"

Nodding, she took his hand and rose to her feet. Pausing for a moment, she gave him a fond look. "I know I'm biased but I must say, she'd be mad not to feel the same way about you."

"You sound like Grandmother. She said the same thing, you know."

Entering the lift first, Asteria turned towards her son, wrinkling her nose at his comment. "How eerie."

"Maybe you both have more in common than you thought," Scorpius said, following her inside.

Asteria huffed lightly at this, the clang of the lift gate nearly drowning out her next words. "As long as our similarities begin and end with you, I suppose I will manage."

 

~~~~~~~~

 

Normally, Scorpius was thrilled when Professor Longbottom asked him to help in the greenhouses. They were his among his favorite places in Hogwarts and to be allowed to work in greenhouse four, where only the most dangerous plants were kept, was an honor. Today, however, it was drudgery pure and simple. Along with the Devil's Snare and mature Mandrakes usually found in this greenhouse, was a new shipment of Solomon Islands Sneezepalm saplings that needed planting. When fully grown their palms, oil, and bark could be used in a variety of mixtures from Doxycide to a Blood-Replenishing Potion. They also grew attractive pink blooms that sneezed twice a day, letting loose pollen and gas. In high doses the gas could cause a person to fall into a coma or even die.

These plants weren't mature enough to be a danger to him. Scorpius' problem with the Sneezepalms was that, being tropical, they required the greenhouse to be kept warm and humid. Outside the greenhouse it was a typical cold and rainy April afternoon, but inside it was sweltering. Despite having stripped off his robe and t-shirt, he was still unbearably hot with his hair plastered to his forehead and the sweat stinging his eyes. Previous attempts to both push his hair back and wipe the sweat from his brow had left him with a dirty smudge just below his hairline.

When the final sapling was planted, Scorpius brushed the dirt from his gloves and sat on the ground to rest. Along with planting the Sneezepalms, he had volunteered to trim the Devil's Snare, taking pride in the fact that he was one of the few people (and the only student) trusted to do so.

Maybe after he had finished school, he could take up an apprenticeship here at Hogwarts. He was wealthy enough already to have several of his own greenhouses but working at Hogwarts would help him build a reputation as well as a resumé.

The creak of the door opening and the refreshing cool breeze that followed stirred Scorpius from his thoughts. Expecting Professor Longbottom, he stood, picking up his t-shirt as he did. "I finished planting the--"

It was Rose. Her eyes flickered quickly from his bare torso to his eyes, her own face already flushed. "Professor Longbottom said you'd be here. I passed by him on the way and mentioned I was looking for you and he said to look in the greenhouse. And here you are. It's hot in here, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." His own reply was muffled as he pulled his shirt over his head. The second his head emerged, Rose looked away quickly, eyeing the table full of Mandrakes.

"Are their pots supposed to be shaking like that?"

"Mating season." Adults now, several of the Mandrakes had moved into each others' pots to do what mature Mandrakes did.

"Oh! I forgot about that," she said, face still pink right up to her ears and loosening her tie.

"Do you want to step outside, get some air?"

"Could we? I think I'm about to melt!"

"It's normally not so bad," he said, following her towards the door. "We received a new shipment of Sneezepalms today and I offered to plant them."

"Those are tropical, yeah?"

"From the South Pacific," he affirmed with a nod. The rain had stopped, leaving the sky gray and overcast and the air cool enough to prickle his skin. Leaning against the door, he inhaled deeply, taking in the sweet smell of fresh cut grass. After an hour in that greenhouse, this brief respite was just what he had needed.

"Listen," Rose began, breaking the silence, "about what happened at the Three Broomsticks, Duncan was completely out of line and he knows it."

"Does he?"

"Yes. We talked about it and he didn't mean what he said."

Scorpius snorted at this, not believing it for a moment. Still not looking at her, he said sofly, "So he sent you to tell me?"

"That's not it--"

Turning towards her, he spoke in crisp, cool tones. "Well, you can let Duncan know that I meant everything I said. He should be grateful the Cannons don't ask for a refund."

"Don't be like this! It's been very difficult for Duncan this past year; traveling all the time, in the news constantly, and all the pressure to win when that coach of theirs is obviously incompetent--"

Something between a sigh and a growl escaped his throat. "Are you done!? Because I'd rather listen to an uprooted Mandrake than hear about the trials and tribulations of your Quidditch star boyfriend."

Rose's face fell at this and for that brief second he was tempted to apologize. Crossing her arms, she regarded him in silence. "He's jealous."

"What?" He blinked, wondering if he misheard. "Jealous? Of what? _Me?_ "

"You. Us. It's been difficult. He's gone so often with the team, we don't get to see each other much."

Not sure what to say, he just raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"I told him he had no reason to worry, there's nothing going on between us," she said softly, eyes on the ground and absently wringing her hands. "I don't know how he got this idea in his head. I'm about as likely to run off with you as I am Al or James!"

The words hit him like a Bludger. He wanted to yell that he wasn't her cousin, that maybe her idiot boyfriend was jealous because Scorpius was in love with her. He wanted to but he didn't, instead remaining quiet.

Rose sighed. "Not that it excuses what he said." When his only response to this was to cross his arms, she threw her hands up in the air. "Blimey, Scorpius, are you ever going to talk?!"

"What do you want me to say?"

"Anything!" she exclaimed. "I've missed you," she added, her voice small. "Despite you acting like you have a broomstick up your arse at the moment."

" _I_ haven't been avoiding _you_."

"I wasn't avoiding you! Not exactly," she hedged, playing with her hands again. "I haven't been doing so great in Transfiguration. Failed the last test. And I have a huge essay for Muggle Studies that I haven't even begun. That's really why I wanted to see you."

Scorpius furrowed his brow. "You're better at writing essays than I am."

"I know I am. But for research, I need to go to Muggle London."

"To the museum?"

"Yeah. The Imperial War Museum. I know you've been there before and figured it would be something you like, Muggle history and all. The exhibit I need to see won't be happening until mid-May."

"Isn't that cutting it close to the end of the year?"

Shrugging, Rose gave a half-grin. "I do my best work in a crunch."

"If you say so."

"So will you come with me?"

It would be so easy (and so satisfying to his wounded pride) to tell her no, to say he was busy, to avoid her in return. One look at her hopeful face though and Scorpius knew he couldn't. "Sure. Haven't been to Muggle London in ages anyway."

Her face broke into a smile, a flash of uncertainty playing across her features before Rose launched herself at him, hugging Scorpius tightly. Holding her in his arms, he felt better than he had in a while. Worried he would get lost in the feel of her against him, the smell of her hair and the warmth of her skin, he let go first. Smiling awkwardly, he tilted his head towards the greenhouse. "I should get back inside. I still have a few more things to do."

"I should get going anyway. Al's waiting for me. We're going to study together." A look that could only be described as mild nausea came over Rose. "He drew up this entire schedule for me and he's being a total nag about me following it. I know it's crackers but I'm really starting to think he's the bastard child of my mum and Uncle Percy."

Scorpius laughed. "Have fun."

"You too."

~~~~~~~~

 

Far as the eye could see it was clear blue skies with the occasional fluffy white cloud here and there. A steady breeze kept it from being too warm though the mid-afternoon sun was bright and Scorpius was certain he'd have a sunburn tomorrow. Didn't matter, he wouldn't dream of forfeiting this game. That canny part of his brain - the one that looked at every angle and (very possibly was) the (only) reason he was in Slytherin - wondered if letting Rose win wouldn't be a prudent move. But Scorpius couldn't do that. This was a matter of pride and he was just not going to give this up without a fight.

Doing a slow spin on her broom, Rose threw her arms up in the air. “Bloody _hell_ , where is that stupid thing?!”

Not that any of his competitive posturing would mean anything if he couldn't actually find the Snitch. Two hours ago they'd given up on their still-unsuccessful prank planning to play a game of “Catch the Snitch”. Two hours and they hadn't caught a glimpse of the damned thing in over an hour. He was starting to wonder if maybe an owl hadn't caught it, thinking it was a bird.

“Real wonder neither of us made Seeker, eh?” he said, easily floating over to where she was.

Rose grinned at him, her cheeks and nose dark pink from the sun. “I never wanted to be Seeker. Too much pressure.”

“I did. Or I _thought_ I did.” Arriving at Hogwarts, Scorpius had intended to be Seeker for Slytherin, just like his dad before him. The idea of the game hinging on him seemed terribly exciting, the only way to play it. When he hadn't made it, he'd been crushed.

Until he played his first game and discovered that being Chaser was just as exciting and far less nerve-wracking.

“You would have made a good Seeker. You're a fast flier.”

“Broom does most of that,” Scorpius said, shrugging. “I don't think I would have. It seems to rely too much on chance, on seeing the Snitch at the right moment. I couldn't stand that.”

“You have a point.” Rose nodded thoughtfully. “Do you think we still would be friends if we were both Seeker? In direct competition with each other all the time? Mowbray and Smith don't get along and I don't think Flint and Smith do either, do they?”

“That's because Smith is a jerk,” he answered matter-of-factly. “And Chasers and Keepers face-off with each other, just like the Seekers do. But after years of me trying to get my Quaffle into your hoop, we're still friends.”

It took a second for the unintended second meaning of that sentence to hit them both. Rose threw her head back, laughing loudly while Scorpius went even pinker.

Waggling her eyebrows and gripping the handle of her broom in a suggestive way as she steered over to him, Rose teased, “This is why I must guard my hoop from you roguish Chasers.” She bumped his broom with hers as she moved past. “You don't care where you put your Quaffles!”

Thanks to the topic of conversation and the way she was sitting on the broom, he couldn't help staring, if only for a second, at her cute little arse. She turned suddenly and his eyes flew up to her face. “I now have the urge to write a story using Quidditch as a metaphor for love and sex.”

“What happened to that story you were writing? The one with the Squib who discovered he had magical ability later in life? That was good.”

Scrunching her face and waving her hand, Rose made some non-committal noise. “It needs work.”

“I thought you were nearly done with it.”

“I've been busy with things.” In an obvious attempt to change the subject, she asked, “Do you think it would be too much like James and Fred's prank if we switched the _classrooms_ around. Like Divination with Herbology?”

“Yes.” Which was the same answer he gave the first time she had asked this question. “And we'd have to find out how they did it which would mean asking them--”

Rose shook her head. “Aunt Audrey helped them. Not intentionally, but it had to be her. She's the architect, she'd be the one who would know how to move all the common room furniture around without much fuss and how to make Slytherin's common room look like Hufflepuff's. And to turn Gryffindor Tower into the Slytherin dungeons?” Twisting her mouth as she thought about it, Rose murmured, “Turning Ravenclaw's common room into Gryffindor's would have been easier, compared to the other but they had a lot of help with what charms to use and all that.”

“Brilliant prank.” And damn near impossible to beat.

Like she was reading his mind, Rose tilted her head and sighed, “We're never going to top that, are we?”

“Looking less and less likely.”

Both mourning their dream of pulling off a prank greater than last year's, the two fell silent. Rose made wide, lazy loops around Scorpius and he wondered if she was trying to distract him. (If so, she was somewhat successful, as he once again admired the way her long legs looked wrapped around the broom.)

“Know what your story needs?” he asked suddenly, grinning as he did.

Raising an eyebrow, she took the bait. “What's that?”

“A brave Herbologist to save the day.”

“An _Herbologist_?”

“Very underrated profession. Every story would be improved with a tall, dashing intelligent Herbologist at the center of it.”

Rose seemed to consider this before shaking her head. “It's too much work thinking up an entirely new character to throw into the mix.”

“Base it on someone you know,” he said, grinning as he passed in front of her.

“A brave, tall, dashing, intelligent Herbologist to save the day?” she repeated doubtfully.

“I'm sure you can think of someone.”

“I can but Professor Longbottom usually shies away from such attention,” she replied earnestly, eyes wide with feigned innocence. “I don't know if he'd appreciate that.”

“You know too many brave, dashing Herbologists.”

“Do I?”

Starting to think his “owl ate the Snitch” theory had some weight to it, he stopped in front of her. “Seriously, am I ever--”

There, behind Rose and just a few meters away, fluttering its wings, was the Snitch. His eyes met hers. Sensing what had happened, she whipped her head around to look. Scorpius was too fast for her though, flying past her as he raced after the Snitch. Rose kept close behind him, though; and hoping to lose her, he made a sharp feint left. She started to follow but realizing what he was doing, righted herself.

Looking up in time to see the Snitch nearly within Rose's grasp, Scorpius dove right. He sailed underneath her and just as her fingers touched its wings, he reached up and grabbed the Snitch. Scorpius laughed at her frustrated growl, flashing the small golden ball out to her as he flew by.

Trailing after him, as soon as they landed Rose grumbled,“Yeah, you win, Malfoy. What are your terms?”

“I almost forgot about that,” he said brightly. Before the game, they had made a bet, loser had to do whatever the winner asked.

“Sure.”

“I did!”

Rose crossed her arms, waiting impatiently.

The problem was, the things he wanted, he couldn't ask for. Not as part of their bet. He couldn't ask her to kiss him or to dump her idiot boyfriend. He could maybe get away with asking for the first if they weren't good friends, but even then it was sketchy...

“Scorpius?” she looked at him with concern.

“Notes,” he answered automatically.

“What?”

“I want your notes, till the end of term, for all the classes we have together.”

“I don't take notes.”

“Good time to start.”

“That's it?”

“Yeah.” He moved the Snitch between his hands as its moving wings started to tickle his palms. “Do you want more?”

“No. That's fine.” She picked up her broom and he followed suit, falling in step with her. “Nicer than I was going to be with you, that's all.”

“Is that so? And what were you planning?”

“I was going to make you run a lap around the Great Hall during dinner.”

Before he could ask, she grinned over her shoulder. “Starkers.”

 

~~~~~~~~

 _In the precious little free time we have, I've taken to reflection. My mind wanders back to that night we spent near the lake and those last tender moments we had together. Everything I confessed, all the promises made, I hold to still. God, country, and king: none of these are enough to give me courage as I spend another night, wet and freezing in a trench. None hold any meaning when all I see, smell, breathe, eat is slaughter and death._

 _Only you save me from those lonely moments of despair, only you are that lifeline back._

 _I fight for no god, no nation and no crown. I fight to make a world that is worthy of you._

Beside him, Scorpius could hear Rose sniffling. Surprised, he turned in time to see her head down as she focused on her notebook, writing down notes with her “bick." Her hand trembled slightly and her eyes looked red. He could tell from the way her shoulders tensed that Rose knew he was watching her, so he quietly looked away.

She'd been acting oddly the entire trip. Distracted, almost nervous but she never gave a reason. Scorpius knew her well enough to know she was upset about something. While sentimental, she didn't normally cry that easily and whenever she wasn't writing, she was playing with her hands. Threading them together, squeezing her fingers and sometimes wringing them as she looked off in the distance. He had asked her repeatedly if something was wrong and every time she gave the same answer.

He wondered if it was the exhibit: a collection of letters between soldiers from the “World Wars” and their loved ones. Next to each letter was information about the soldiers, the ones who died, the ones who returned to an empty house, and the few who went on to have happy lives. It certainly cast a pall over his mood.

But that wasn't it, because she'd been acting this way from the moment they met at the Leaky Cauldron.

(The devil inside him hoped she was having problems with Finnigan. He wasn't proud of this but the feeling remained.)

She had dressed a bit nicer than usual for the trip. Most of the time, she favored casual clothing; and aside from that one glorious day early last summer when he'd seen her in a bikini, she almost always wore trousers or denims. For all their previous trips to Muggle London, she had dressed the same as she always did, though maybe more conservatively - often in black, but Muggles seemed to wear that color a lot, he'd noticed. They all looked like they were going to a funeral.

Today, she wore a floral-patterned cream-colored dress that came to her knee and delicate sandals that had a bit of a heel. Her hair was loose, she wore a thin golden bracelet on her left wrist, and even looked to be wearing make-up. It was almost as if she were going somewhere, but when he asked what was the occasion, she had simply blushed and muttered something about _“wanting to wear a dress once in a while”_.

It was completely baffling.

And completely distracting.

Scorpius had enough trouble keeping his eyes off her when she was wearing her school robes. When she was dressed like this, he constantly found his attention traveling to the milky white skin of her legs and the curves hinted at underneath the thin material of her dress. His gaze wandered to the flimsy wisps of material that made up the sleeves of the dress, and the dusting of freckles on her shoulders. How Scorpius wanted to push the straps of her dress aside and kiss her just there.

With a sinking stomach he realized Rose had gone completely still. He could see his reflection in the glass of the exhibit that she stood before, which meant Rose had been watching him stare at her. Their eyes met and they both looked away.

Turning to look at another letter, Scorpius said without looking at Rose, “Too bad Al couldn't come, he likes museums.”

“I know. I went to ask him, but he was busy.”

“What now?” On safe ground now, Scorpius shook his head. “At this rate, he'll be going to St. Mungo's as a patient and not a Healer.”

“I told him that. He agreed!”

“At least he's not gone completely around the bend.”

Another thought came to him - or returned, since it was one he'd had before but never voiced. Moving closer to where Rose stood so they wouldn't be overheard, he asked softly, “Do you ever think that maybe because of who Al's parents are - who his _dad_ is - that Al is trying to live up to that?”

All previous uncertainty disappeared from Rose as she looked at him, a sardonic grin curving her mouth. “You _just_ noticed that?”

“No. I just never said it before.”

“That's a big part of it. Looking like an exact replica of Uncle Harry sans scar doesn't help.” Blowing out a breath she'd been holding, Rose looked up at him. “Maybe that's all of us. James wanted to be an Auror all his life because his dad was one and when he grew up he 'wanted to beat up Voldemort too.' Hugo wants to improve Muggle-Wizard relations because that's important to our mum. Lily wants to play professional Quidditch just like _her_ mum.”

“And you?”

“I don't know,” she said forlornly. “I want to write but I don't want to be a journalist like Aunt Ginny. My parents keep telling me about these job openings with the _Daily Prophet_ or _The Quibbler_ , or they mention PR jobs with the Ministry, and none of it is what I want to do. I'm not _against_ doing it. I'd just like to go through the miserable, fruitless agony of trying to be a real writer first before I give up and do something sane.”

He snorted. “At least you have a plan.”

“Not that my mum cares. I know she only wants the best for me and is worried I'll wind up living at home till I'm thirty, but sometimes she drives me up the wall,” Rose said, voice rising in pitch with each word. “My dad is marginally better. Usually. But he doesn't get it either. I think Hugo is more what they were expecting when it came to children. Or hoping for. Eugh, that sounds whiny.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because it's true?” In the same breath she added, “Oh, you mean the hoping for part? They always thought that because I was 'so intelligent' I'd accomplish the sorts of thing my mum did. I can't do that. I have no idea how she and Dad did that. If I'd had to face-off against a Dark Lord at seventeen, I'd die and probably get a few people killed in the process. I'm the same girl who was still getting lost on the way to Potions well into my second year.”

“You don't know that for certain. Your parents did what they did because they had to--”

“I know, I know.”

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, Rose taking notes while he stood beside her, looking at the exhibits. Scorpius wondered if her discomfort earlier had anything to do with her parents and her future. She'd been the most animated he'd seen all day when talking about that.

“Did you know the _Daily Prophet_ was desperate for pictures of us – the Potter and Weasley kids – before we were born?”

He raised an eyebrow. The more he thought about it, the less surprising he found it. “How desperate?”

“They were stalking Aunt Ginny before James' birth. Those last few weeks, she tried to stay by the house and not go out in public much to avoid the press. So they offered a thousand Galleons for the first picture of him. Later, it was five hundred for Al and Lily.” He didn't get a chance to ask before she said, “Hugo and I only fetched a hundred Galleons a piece.”

“Any takers?”

“Not for James. People thought it all in bad taste. But by the time Al and I rolled around, they weren't so hung-up. No one got a picture of Al, Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry were prepared by then. They got pictures of me, Hugo, and Lily however. And pictures of random babies they tried to pass off as us. Then there were the babies that women tried to pass off as Uncle Harry's.” Rose rolled her eyes. “One woman drew a little lightning scar on her child, like it was genetic!”

Scorpius laughed at this but his amusement soon died when he remembered something. “When I was born...” he paused, not wanting to seem like he was competing with her.

“Yeah?”

“When I was born my grandparents, my grandfather mostly, insisted on having a huge announcement in the _Daily Prophet_. Almost took up the entire page. A few days after it was published, my mum received an anonymous letter. It said that the entire Malfoy line was poisoned with bad blood and if there was any justice my grandparents and dad would be rotting in Hell for their crimes.” He took a deep breath, almost wishing he never said anything. “It also said that their bad blood should die with them and that it would be 'better for the world' if someone strangled me in my crib to ensure that.”

Well, if the letters from dead soldiers hadn't made this a depressing trip, Scorpius was certain he had.

Rose was aghast. “That's awful,” she said, sounding dazed. “I don't know how people can... Did they learn _nothing_ from the war? How do you even say those things or write those things--”

“It's not a big deal--”

“It is a big deal! There's no excuse for that! You were just a baby, you can't be held responsible for what your family did--”

“A lot of people disagree with you there,” he scoffed.

Rose frowned. “Wait, did your mum tell you this?”

“No. It was my grandmother, maternal grandmother. She, er,” he waffled, knowing what he would say next was just going to make it worse. It was the truth, however. “She wanted me to know what kind of people my dad and his parents were. To understand why she and my grandfather didn't like them and why a lot of people didn't like them.”

Rose shook her head. “She... That's wrong.”

“I think she thought it was the right thing to do--”

“How could it--”

“She wanted me to be prepared for what people would say.”

Nothing more was said about that. Rose bit her tongue as Scorpius remembered another good reason not to bring these things up was so he didn't have to think about them.

Noticing Rose was hugging herself, he asked, “Are you cold?” The Muggle version of cooling charms - their “eragon dishner” - kept the whole museum at something just above “frosty."

“I'm fine, but we should get going,” she replied, tapping her notebook. “I have everything I need.”

He nodded and followed her lead as they made their way through the museum. Realizing he never got an answer to his question, Scorpius asked, “So what was Al so busy with that he couldn't come visit with us?”

Rose paused in her step, her shoulders tensing. “Er, he, er agreed to tutor some students in Potions. He was with a bunch of sixth-years when I saw him.”

“What were they working on?”

“Amortentia,” she said, tucking a few curls behind her ear. “Some had problems brewing it.”

“That's a fun one.”

“Have you brewed it before?”

“No, but last year I had to talk to Bletchley about something after class one day. I went to her office and she was holding a small tutoring session, they were working on that.”

Rose nodded, nervously twining her fingers together and not looking at him. “So, er, what did it smell like?”

“Erm,” he swallowed. “I don't remember exactly. It was a while ago. I think it was fresh cut grass after rain, the sweets my parents send me every month, and er, a pumpkin sort of smell.”

“Pumpkin?” She looked at him with keen interest and Scorpius felt his heart pound. This would be the perfect time to tell her. Maybe not the perfect _place_ , but this was an opening might not get again.

“Yeah, pumpkin. Like... the juice? And tarts. All the pumpkin-based Hogwarts food...” Scorpius wondered if a bigger coward than he had ever existed.

“Right. Hogwarts.”

“What did it smell like for you?”

“Me?” He noticed Rose's ears were red and maybe she did too, because she ran her hand through her hair, causing it to fall forward and obscure them. “Er, ink and bacon--”

“There's a surprise.”

She smiled wanly but only for a moment, her expression fading with the next words. Looking anxiously at him, Rose continued, “And a sort of earthy, woodsy smell.”

That made sense, he supposed. She loved to spend time outside almost as much as he did and Scorpius knew one of her biggest desires was to go camping. (Something her parents had always refused.) Best of all, he couldn't see any way it related to Finnigan! “Nice scent.”

“Yeah.” Rose looked ahead. “It is.”

 

~~~~~~~~

Nearly a year after they first set out to best James and Fred's prank, Rose and Scorpius found they had hit a brick wall. Nothing they could think of was appropriately brilliant enough, original enough, and funny enough to meet their goal. Therefore, two weeks before the end of term, they decided to go with the idea that had seemed like the most fun. And would also be the easiest to pull off.

Scorpius looked up as another one exploded, this one a large green dragon that breathed “fire”, orange and red sparks shooting from its mouth.

After about thirty minutes or so, the professors stopped trying to vanquish the fireworks. It was the night before they left school and, unlike the last time fireworks had been set off on Hogwarts, these were at least outside. As were most of the students and faculty. Students had brought down sheets to serve as picnic blankets as they dined on food smuggled from the kitchen. Some were even roasting sausages and marshmallows over the fire Hagrid had built. Their professors stood around talking and watching the fireworks, a few holding bottles of Butterbeer. Music from several different wireless radios mingled with the explosions of the fireworks and the chatter around him. Looking around, Scorpius had to admit this had gone better than he had expected.

Al nudged him in the side. “How long are these going to last?”

“Another hour? Hour and a half?” Scorpius looked at Rose for confirmation. She nodded.

Leaning against the tree, Rose closed her eyes. “Relax Al, exams are over. You're free!”

“I just need to know all my marks,” he said, scanning the crowd. “I've already spoken with Longbottom, Gobbo, Bletchley, and MacDuff, and I'm good for all their classes. All that leaves is--”

His voice trailed off as he spotted something, or someone, talking with Hagrid and Sprout. Following his gaze, Scorpius soon spotted the pink-cheeked, black-haired Defense Against the Dark Arts professor standing near the bonfire.

“Got to go,” Al said, hurrying over towards her.

“Poor Al,” Rose said, eyes still closed.

“Don't you mean poor Professor Jones?”

“Touché.”

Things had been strange between them the past few weeks. Scorpius almost had the feeling Rose was hiding something from him. At times, he'd catch her watching him and sometimes it seemed like she wanted to say something. When he asked though, she always insisted otherwise, ears turning red as she did.

“Weasley. Malfoy.” Corny Fenton stood in front of them, a smug smile on his face. Beside him was Imogen Dogberry, looking as sour-faced as ever. Scorpius expected Corny to announce that he knew they were behind the fireworks, that he'd decided to somehow give them detention tomorrow or even to tell them exactly how many “Outstandings” he received on his N.E.W.T.'s.

He didn't expect what Corny actually said. “Nice job on the fireworks.”

Dogberry smiled tightly, looking more pleased with Corny than with what he said. Rose smiled brightly. “Thank you! Have a great summer.”

And the pair walked away.

Scorpius looked over at Rose. “Mind telling me what happened here?”

“They liked our fireworks,” she said, looking pleased with herself. “And a few weeks, ago I caught him and Dogberry snogging in the empty Transfiguration classroom when they were supposed to be out on rounds.”

“Corny and Dogberry,” Scorpius repeated.

“I think they've been together since Christmas.”

“You didn't tell me!”

“I didn't know for certain myself until a few weeks ago.” Rose protested.

“You didn't tell me about that either!” Scorpius now wondered if the two had really been patrolling the corridor around the Room of Requirement or if they wanted to use the room themselves. “So does that explain why you've been acting so distant lately?” he joked. “Still traumatized from what you saw?”

Eyes not meeting his, Rose looked down at her entwined hands. “I haven't been acting distant.”

He opened his mouth to argue but didn't get the chance.

“ROSIE!”

Roxanne and Lily, along with their fellow Gryffindors Hero Bertram and Miranda Goodfellow, descended upon them. Miranda pushed Hero forward, the shorter girl nearly falling when she did. “Tell Rose what you told me.”

“Tell me what?”

“I'm not supposed to tell anyone,” she said in a low voice. “But my dad, he owns the jewelry shop, yeah? My dad owled me to tell me that they had a rather famous customer in last night. A certain Quidditch player?”

“Duncan?” Rose asked. Scorpius felt slightly ill, not liking where this was headed.

Hero nodded emphatically. “He was in looking for rings. _Engagement_ rings.”

“The note didn't say engagement rings,” Lily interjected.

The other girl looked indignant. “It said he looked at women's rings and that he specifically wanted to see their selection of diamond, pearl, and ruby rings!”

“Pearl for your birthday obviously,” Roxanne noted helpfully.

“I figured,” Rose said flatly.

“Diamonds are really popular thanks to Muggles,” Hero stated. “Daddy says he sells more and more diamond rings every year.”

“And rubies are popular with Gryffindors,” Miranda chirped. “I never really cared for them myself, to be honest.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “That doesn't mean anything! It might be just be for her birthday. It might not even be for Rose! It could be for his mum--”

“Of course it's for Rose!” Roxanne exclaimed. “They've been going out for eighteen months now, she's finished with Hogwarts and she's going to have a birthday soon. All signs point to Rose.”

“This is so exciting!” Miranda squealed, causing the others to giggle. The conversation soon devolved into the three girls planning the impending (though-not-yet-existent) nuptials of Rose and Duncan. Every once in a while Lily would argue that it was all ridiculous and that nothing had even happened yet, but the chatter continued.

Like himself, Rose was quiet, every so often glancing around nervously and smiling thinly at the talk about her. Her inability to sit still, to stop wringing her hands, to not continually look around as if she wanted to escape, reminded Scorpius of a caged animal.

“Your dad will be so happy,” Hero said, clasping her hands together. “He really likes Duncan, doesn't he? That's a good sign.”

“Uncle Ron will be most excited about the prospect of season tickets to the Cannons's games!” Roxanne teased.

If he listened to any more of this, Scorpius was certain he would be ill. Standing up, he announced, “I'm getting something to drink,” and didn't wait for a response.

He got one anyway. Rose shot up from her seat beneath the tree. “I'll join you.”

Not expecting this, he looked over his shoulder, but Rose moved too fast, already beside him then walking in front of Scorpius to where the Butterbeers were. With fluid movements she grabbed two, tossed one to him and opened hers with her hand, clearly in no mood to bother with her wand. Scorpius watched avidly as she drank hers like she'd spent the bulk of the day wandering the Gobi with no water, her head tipped back as she took a long drink.

He tore his eyes away, looking down at his bottle and feeling rather parched himself now.

“I want to travel,” Rose gasped when she came up for air. “I want to go on gondola rides through Venice and ride across the Sahara on camel-back and go deep-sea diving like the Muggles do in the Great Barrier Reef. I don't even know if I want to live in England all my life, but I want to write, and if I want to have any hope of being good at that, I need to live and I really haven't done anything interesting or worthwhile. When they were my age, my mum and dad had saved the Wizarding World a few times over, and all I've managed to do is not fail any of my classes!”

Unsure what to do, Scorpius nodded not that Rose seemed to notice this. “First it's marriage, then I have to stay in one place because it's hard to build a home if you're both constantly in different places at the same time - and let's face it, that usually falls to the woman.” Even with the empty Butterbeer bottle between them, Rose wrung her hands. “Next thing you know, there will be kids, and I'll have to postpone my dreams even longer.”

Pacing back and forth now, she continued, confessing, “I sent that Squib story to a few magazines. I've never tried to get anything published before, not really anyway, not beyond _The Herald_ , which doesn't count.”

“What did they say?”

“They all rejected it.”

“I'm sorry--”

“I'm not! That's what I'm trying to say. I think.” Rose shook her head. “I never really expected it to get published. I wanted it but I didn't seriously think it would happen. And the letters were pretty nice, for the most part. Two told me to 'keep writing,' and that's what you want to hear in a rejection letter.” She looked off towards the lake, wordless for a moment before turning to look at Scorpius. “I needed to know. I couldn't stand always wondering and never knowing if I had let a chance slip by me. I think if I were to settle down now, I'd live the rest of my life with a big 'what if' hanging over my head.”

Sighing, shoulders slumped, Rose looked at him with pleading brown eyes. “Does any of that makes sense?”

“All of it.” Keenly aware now of what his mum had been saying, Scorpius knew this was the chance he'd been hoping for. She was so close, he could feel the heat from her skin, and she was still smiling at him, that soft look in her eyes.

Without thinking it through any more (he'd wasted too much time thinking), Scorpius cupped her chin and bent down. He paused for a second when she gave a small gasp, but when she didn't move away, he kissed her. The first was dry and chaste, just a brush of his lips against hers. The second wasn't, it was her sighing into his mouth and him sliding his tongue against hers.

When Rose pulled away, he dropped his hands as if he'd been burned. “We... I should...”

“Wait, wait.” Scorpius grabbed her wrist, his hold on it light and loose. “It's... I love you, Rose.”

“What?”

“I'm in love with you.” He let go of her, shoving his hands in his pockets. Rose looked stunned. Scorpius was rather surprised he'd said it too, after so many months of just thinking it and agonizing over it, and now he'd done it. “You really didn't know?”

“I didn't...” Rose shook her head, her words dying.

“I've wanted to tell you for a long time. I wanted to know if you felt the same way. Or could feel the same way.” She didn't. Scorpius was no Legilimens and he didn't expect her to swoon into his arms, but one look told him she didn't reciprocate his feelings.

Lips pursed in a tight line, Rose shook her head again. “I do care about you, Scorpius. You're one of my best friends, you're--”

“Don't.”As a heavy weight settled in his chest, his throat tightened and Scorpius felt as if he could hardly draw breath for the next words. “I'm not your cousin or your brother and I don't want to be just your friend--”

“What do you want me to say? You can't--”

“Nothing,” he said thickly. “You don't have to say anything.”

“Oi! There you are,” Al called, walking over to where the unhappy couple stood, Lily in step with him. “Good news! I...”

Lily stopped him. “Maybe we should come back later.”

“No, it's fine,” Scorpius answered, careful not to look at them. “I was just leaving.”

Walking off towards the castle, his only comfort was that after tomorrow he would never have to see Rose Weasley again.


	5. Chapter 5

“Ah, up before noon I see.” Draco Malfoy came strolling out onto the patio, dressed for the day, a folded copy of the _Daily Prophet_ under his arm. “Special occasion?”

The only reason Scorpius was awake at this early hour was because he'd been unable to sleep the night before. Hoping his dad would just read his newspaper and leave him alone, Scorpius grunted, “No.”

“That's unfortunate. Lovely weather we're having today.”

Not interested in being talked at about the weather or his future or anything else, Scorpius pushed his chair back, about to leave.

“I did want to talk to you about something, however.”

Sighing, Scorpius pulled his chair closer to the table.

“Only if you're not busy.”

“I'm not busy.”

“Have you had breakfast yet?”

“I'm not hungry.”

His dad was silent for a moment, only making a clucking noise with his tongue. “You look awful. Have you slept?”

“If this is what you wanted to talk about, then I change my mind - I _am_ busy.”

“Mind your tone,” was Draco's mild rebuke. “Actually, I wanted your advice on a matter. I've been looking to acquire another team, this one closer to home.”

Deciding that playing along was the only way to make this chat go quicker, Scorpius asked, “Which teams?”

“The Holyhead Harpies and The Chudley Cannons. Not both, only one. I just can't decide which.”

“Why would you want to buy the Cannons? They're horrible.”

“That's why! The challenge of it. And the glory that comes with transforming the 'Lovable Losers' -” a sneer flitted across his face with that nickname “- into winners.”

“You know they're Mr. Weasley's favorite team?” At the questioning look in his dad's eyes, he clarified, “Rose's dad?”

“No! Are they now?” From the smile on his face, Scorpius guessed that little nugget of information was being added to the “pro” column in his dad's head.

“The Harpies are a better team,” Scorpius said tiredly. “Nowhere near where they were twenty years ago, but there's more to work with unlike the Cannons.”

“Bulstrode's really done great work with them these past few years. She was a damn good Beater, too.” Draco leaned back in his chair, a wistful look on his face. “Shame she never made our House team.”

“If the Harpies are a better team, with better coaching but still could use some help, then how is this a question?”

Draco gave a pleased smile. “It's not entirely about the challenge.”

“No,” Scorpius deadpanned.

“The owner of the Kununurra Kelpies is interested in trading Amiens and Gadshill for the Dragons' Chaser and one or two players from the Cannons.”

“Amiens is one of the best Chasers in the game, why would he trade her?”

The quirk of Draco's eyebrow told more than his answer. “Personal differences.”

“Oh. Who does he want from the Cannons?”

“Their Chaser – Tressell – and their Seeker – Finnigan.”

“To play on the Kelpies?” Finnigan, all the way off in Australia. Not quite Scorpius' dream of Finnigan being traded to Antarctica's newest expansion team, the South Pole Penguins, but it was close.

“I would imagine so, yes,” his dad drawled.

The idea of Finnigan being sent around the world did have a fleeting appeal. But Scorpius knew it wouldn't change anything. They weren't Muggles, and Australia would be less than an hour away by Apparation. If anything, the chance to travel could drive Rose further into Finnigan's arms.

Besides, Scorpius already knew where he stood with Rose.

“It doesn't make any sense for a long-term investment,” Scorpius muttered. “You'd have to sell the team again, which won't be easy judging from the way Woodville's been trying to get rid of them. Or you'd have to work at making them a better team, which brings us back to the Harpies.”

“I suppose you're right,” his dad sighed. Quickly abandoning his pet project, Draco asked, “So, what are your plans now that you're done with Hogwarts? Can your mother and I look forward to a few more months of you moping around the house?”

Scorpius scowled. “Why do you care?” His frown only deepened as he heard how childish he sounded.

“Other than the fact that you're my only child and every time I see you, you're miserable about something? I can't imagine. You've been home just two days and already you're wandering the halls like a ghost and keeping odd hours.” He dropped the chiding tone, now serious. “I'm worried about you.”

Slouching into his seat, Scorpius mumbled, “It's nothing.”

“Yes, that's what you said at Easter and Christmas and las--”

“It's Rose and you know it.” Before his dad could argue, Scorpius swiftly added, “I'm sure you've figured out by now that I'm in love with her, and if you hadn't Mum would have told you. But don't worry, I won't be 'sullying the bloodline' any time soon.”

“And why is that?”

“She's getting engaged to her dim-witted ape of a boyfriend.”

“Again proving true the old adage that girls marry their fathers,” Draco quipped.

“Don't start with that.”

“Fair enough. So what do you intend to do now? Your mother said you were interested in an apprenticeship with Hogwarts. Have you spoken to Longbottom?”

“I did. He already offered the position to someone else but said he'd need help next Spring, and that the job was mine if I wanted.”

His dad only nodded in response and Scorpius assumed he was looking for the perfect pithy put-down about his intended career, his favorite teacher, the Weasleys, or - if he was feeling particularly ambitious – all three.

It never came. Instead, Draco began, “You know, Scorpius, your mother and I are leaving soon for Tahiti--”

“I don't want to tag-along on your trip.”

“ _Good_ , because I wasn't inviting you to join us. Stop interrupting me.” When he was certain Scorpius wasn't going to interject, Draco carried on, “Perhaps a holiday of your own would be a good idea. Perfect time for the Grand Tour.”

“Maybe.” Logically, Scorpius knew his dad was right, he just couldn't muster the enthusiasm.

“You need to forget about her,” Draco said firmly. Raising his hand to stall any objections from his son, he amended, “If only for a few months. There's a whole world beyond this house, plenty to see and do that doesn't involve mooning over the Weasley girl.”

Problem was, there was little Scorpius wanted to do other than sulk and brood. His dad was right, however. He couldn't spend the rest of his life mourning what could have been. The little bit of his pride that hadn't been crushed the other night wouldn't stand for it, and he doubted that's how Rose would be spending her summer.

“I'll go.”

 

~~~~~~~~

Prague was his first stop. Something he didn't tell his parents about, as it was a last minute change. Scorpius wasn't sure what he thought he'd do or how he could help. He probably knew only a little bit more about the Dark Arts than Finnigan and he wasn't qualified to work as a Healer, having dropped Potions after his fifth year. (How he hated to admit his dad had been right when he said he'd regret that one day.)

Rumor had it that most or all of Koschei's group had been neutralized and with a few rogue followers and a strong propaganda machine left. Some said foreign wizards had been involved in taking down the regime; the name “Potter” came up frequently. Scorpius wasn't sure which one they meant and the answers varied from person to person. After a week spent there feeling useless and under-foot, he left.

His next stop was Paris, to spend time with his cousins Priam and Nestor. Despite being just a year younger than them, Scorpius had never really known them that well. The ensuing weeks spent at their penthouse suite in the most exclusive building in wizarding Paris changed that. Apparently, they had decided the best way to cope with their parents' divorce and the scandal surrounding their father's affair was by throwing parties. Many, many, parties where both the liquor and the women were free-flowing. When not having parties they divided their time between bars, clubs, and other people's parties. It was fun and novel at the beginning but eventually Scorpius remembered why he never spent much time with them.

So he left for Italy, to Turin and Milan where he spent time wandering through the cathedrals and ruins. Then to Padua and Verona, where he visited the _Casa di Giulietta_ , which was the most overrated stop on his tour. The little bits of graffiti and love notes stuck to the house walls with chewing gum were more interesting than the house itself, which bore no real connection to Shakespeare's heroine. Still, there was the location, the balcony, and the bronze statue of Juliet, grimy and dirty save for her right breast that had gleamed in the mid-afternoon sun, rubbed to a shiny gloss by tourists hoping to be lucky in love.

(Scorpius wasn't one of them.)

Now, he was in Venice, where he'd been for the past week. The city was beautiful, like all of Italy. The more time he spent here, the more time he wanted to spend here. Aside from his family, there wasn't much tying him to England. Yet there was always that little hope that he'd see Rose, hear from her, something. The other day he'd caught glimpse of someone who looked just like her outside a gelato shop. It was only from the side, and maybe for a second before she disappeared into the crowd, but it had hung over him ever since.

Al had written, once, when Scorpius was in France. The letter made no mention of Rose but it was possible he didn't have that much to say about his cousin. After finishing Hogwarts, Al had gone straight to Prague where'd been spending the past several weeks as a Healer/Mediwizard. Since they still didn't have enough medical help, Al was kept constantly busy, which was a blessing in disguise since he barely had time to sleep and eat, let alone worry about performing perfectly all the time. Al had mentioned not writing back, since few owls were allowed into Prague at the moment due to security concerns.

Closing his eyes, Scorpius settled back into the couch, wondering what he should do with his day. His parents and grandparents had all suggested people he could visit or stay with, not that he had really listened to this. After his stay with his cousins, Scorpius decided he would stick to inns and hotels for the rest of his tour. He rather liked the novelty of feeling anonymous.

A tapping on the window pulled him out his reverie and he turned to see his dad's eagle owl waiting on the ledge. After letting Ladon in, Scorpius threw him a few treats and took the letter he held in his claws. A newspaper clipping slipped out and fell to the floor when he ripped it open.

His heart jumped into his throat as he noticed the familiar bells and doves of the engagement and wedding announcements section. Not believing his dad would be so cruel, Scorpius picked up the slip of paper.

And was soon very confused.

_Mr and Mrs Polixenes Puckle_

 _Are proud to announce the engagement of their daughter_

 _Miss Perdita Puckle_

 _To_

 _Mr Thuban Spinks._

He hadn't the foggiest who these people were or why his dad would send this. Flipping the paper over, Scorpius found he'd been looking at the wrong side.

On that side was a picture of his mum and Mrs. Weasley, talking before turning to smile for the camera. The headline below them read: _How Two Witches Saved A City._

Scanning the article, it detailed how a joint project between their departments helped convince the Minister for Magic to send a specialized team of Hit Wizards and Unspeakables to Prague to stop Koschei. Morevoer, through the Ministry and their own personal contacts, the pair had also convinced Germany and France to send teams as part of a multi-national effort.

Thinking back to the conversation they'd had months ago, Scorpius smiled. His mum had been right, but then, so had he.

The note along with the letter was short, advising Scorpius to write his mum and congratulate her and that there would be a dinner for her this Saturday.

Intending to write back immediately, he pulled some parchment from the table and grabbed a quill only to remember he had no ink. He had meant to buy some while out last night and had forgotten. It had also been a few hours since breakfast and he was feeling hungry again. Thinking there was no time like the present, Scorpius grabbed his money and his wand and headed out the door.

And promptly bumped into Rose.

“Sorry,” she mumbled automatically around the plastic spoon in her mouth. That was until she saw who it was she'd bumped into and her expression darkened. Taking the spoon out of her mouth and putting it into her half-empty cup of gelato, Rose straightened. “Long time no see. Is this where you've been hiding for the past few months?”

“Not that it's any of _your_ business,” he drawled, “but no, I've only been in Italy for a few weeks.”

“Not any of my business? It's not like we've been friends for several years!”

“I think you proved exactly how much my friendship meant to you the last time we spoke.”

Rose looked thunderous. “You're the one who skipped town just because you couldn't get into my pants.”

He felt as if he'd been struck. “If that's what you really think of me, then we clearly never knew each other that well--”

“What am I supposed to think? You say you love me and then when I don't immediately jump into your arms, you leave without another word!” Her voice grew louder and louder with each syllable till she was nearly yelling. Certain someone would overhear them, Scorpius looked around nervously.

“Oh, I forgot! _Someone_ doesn't like to make public scenes - unless, of course, those scenes involve kissing someone and declaring their love for them in front of the whole school!” Rose said sarcastically

“Is it _possible_ ,” Scorpius hissed, “for you _not_ to bellow so everyone can hear you? Or are you just that starved for attention? Isn't being one of the princesses of the wizarding world and having a Quidditch-star boyfriend enough for you?”

“You're right,” she said in a dangerously low tone. Brushing past him, she pushed his door open. “Let's talk.”

He had half a mind to just leave and run his errands as planned. But he knew Rose, and he knew she'd wait days if she had to. Slamming the door behind him, he followed her inside.

Hands on her hips, Rose glared at him. “So why did you leave without saying anything?”

“Why do you think you're owed a response? As we've made it abundantly clear, I am not your boyfriend no matter how much you flirt with me, and I don't have to check in with you.”

“So because I'm not your girlfriend, I'm not anything to you anymore? Were you planning on never talking to me--”

“I needed to get away from you!” he shouted. Rose stilled. In a lower but no kinder tone, Scorpius added, “And apparently going to a different country wasn't far enough.”

For one horrible moment she looked like she was going to cry. He felt awful. Irrationally, he wanted to both apologize and accuse her of trying to manipulate him. That bitter, angry side of him won. “Yes, you're going to have to find a new back-up eunuch to stay at heel and shower you with attention while Finnigan's away.”

“I never asked you for any of that!” Rose snarled.

“You didn't object, either.”

“You are the most self-centered, arrogant prat I've ever known! Do you really think everything is about you? Is the whole world just one big stage for the ongoing drama in your head?” She pointed her index finger at her temple and twirled it. “And before you mention him again, you should know that Duncan and I are no longer seeing each other.”

The elation he felt at this was brief. His ego was still wounded. “I'm sorry to hear that. Now who will satisfy your exhibitionist desires to snog in public places?”

“You're a fine one to talk,” she scoffed, “the way you and Bianca carried on! Corny told everyone about your little rendevous in the Room of Requirement. Pink ruffles? Was that her choice of décor or yours?”

Rolling his eyes, Scorpius clutched his chest in mock-pain. “Stop, you're hurting me.”

“You always were a giant ponce.” Rose sniffed, crossing her arms. “I'm not the only one who thought so - or maybe you've forgotten your _first four years_ at Hogwarts? Makes your desperate need to be seen with Montague's hands down your trousers a little more suspicious.”

Rose laughed at his indignant huff. Furious now, Scorpius closed the gap between them. Rose, just as he hoped, refused to budge. “Why, I didn't know you'd been paying so much attention. Did you like the show?” he asked softly, his smile turning to a sneer. “Something to tide you over on those long lonely nights?”

For a split second he was certain she was going to slap him. He'd likely deserve it. Rose restrained herself however, merely whispering, “Don't flatter yourself.”

Being this close to her again, Scorpius felt more alive than he had in weeks, yet utterly defeated. She drove him crazy, making him feel and think a thousand things at once.

Stepping back, he looked around the room, mouth twisting into a grimace. “You know why I left, so why are you still here?”

Rose shook her head, glancing at the door like she might just walk out. “I don't know. I really don't know.” Then she came closer, watching him avidly. “Amortentia. What did it smell like for you? Sweets and grass and...”

Did she enjoy this? Did she get a kick out of him admitting his feelings again and again so she could shoot him down? “You know what it was.”

She nodded, eyes not leaving his. “Mine was bacon, ink, and you. The smell of earth and woods, that was you. Like the last time I saw you in the greenhouse.”

“What?” He couldn't help but wonder if she was joking, even though he knew Rose wouldn't. Not about this.

Searching his face, she didn't say anything. She just rested one hand on his chest and, leaning in close, kissed him. The first was a peck, the second was her lips nudging his apart while he wrapped his arms around and her the third was his tongue sliding against hers as her hand fisted in his shirt.

Placing feather-light kisses along his jaw, Rose whispered, “If you had only written, we could have been doing this weeks ago.”

“Nag.” Scorpius captured her lips again, pulling her tight against him. This kiss was hungrier than the others and soon he found they were pulling at each other's clothes. He felt clumsy and awkward, having only done this a few times before and having been completely pissed each time. Some part of his mind was still in shock that this was actually happening, waiting for a dead headmaster to pop out of the woodwork and yell, “Surprise!”

A thrill went through him as her body pressed tightly against his own, his erection brushing against her stomach. Scorpius' hands slipped underneath the tank top she wore and he marveled at the softness of her skin. His own shirt was completely unbuttoned now, Rose's hands sliding down the bare skin to rest at his belt. He hoped they'd go lower still but instead she pulled away with a frustrated look on her face. “This is awkward.”

Feeling like someone dumped a cold glass of water over him, Scorpius' hands stilled just below the clasp of her bra.

“Not _this_ , this,” she said quickly, eyes widening. “Standing in the middle of the room.”

“Couch?” he suggested. The bed might have been more practical, but right now it seemed miles away.

“That works.”

Rose nudged him in that direction and he walked backwards, instinctively knowing where it would be. Once or twice, she stepped on his feet and whispered her apologies against his neck in between bites. Then the back of his knee hit the couch and he fell back, Rose laughing as he did. The couch was a shabby old brown thing that was meant to add “rustic charm” to the room. That really meant it was older than him and the cushions sagged. An annoying detail he forgot as soon as Rose straddled him, her skirt hiking up to her hips. She pulled her tank over her head and he slid out of his shirt.

Leaning over him, eyes dark with desire, lips full, and long auburn hair falling over her shoulders, Rose looked more beautiful than he'd ever remembered. Scorpius felt a tug at his heart and, reaching up to stroke her cheek, he intended to tell her just what she meant to him.

That was until she smirked at him, cheeks turning pink and said, “You're not going to tell me how beautiful I am or something equally soppy, are you?”

He snorted. “Not anymore.”

“Good,” she said, settling on top of him as they kissed. Try as he might (which lasted all of seconds) Scorpius couldn't resist thrusting against her. From the way her fingers threaded in his hair and she sighed in his ear, he didn't think she minded.

Leaving a trail of open-mouth kisses down the curve of her neck to the hollow of her throat, his hands slid up the naked skin of her torso, stopping just beneath her breasts. His right thumb flicked against her hardened nipple, eliciting a whimper. His attention moved to her other breast and he dipped his head down, mouthing over the peak, leaving a wet spot on the fabric. Rose moaned, bucking against him as much as the couch cushions would allow. Knowing he wouldn't last much longer if she continued, he grabbed her hips to still her. “I'm too close.”

Rose nodded, kissing him quickly before she pulled away, standing in front of him. He was left colder for the loss of contact and confused by her actions. That was until he saw her hands disappear beyond her back and watch her shimmy out of her bra, her perfect, pert breasts bouncing as she did. Transfixed by her dusty pink nipples, he licked his lips. Rose then pushed down her skirt, knickers with it, leaving herself nude. His eyes wandered down the smooth plane of her stomach to indent of her waist, to her belly button, then to the copper curls below and those long legs that didn't seem to end. Sad as it was, Scorpius was rather proud of himself for not coming right then and there.

“This tends to work better if you're naked too,” she teased, hands on her hips.

“Right!” Lifting his arse off the couch, he pushed down his trousers and pants, kicking them off along with his socks and shoes. For one panicky second it looked like one of his shoes was stuck in his trouser leg, but he managed to free it without much fuss. He already felt self-conscious enough as it was with his cock bobbing against his stomach.

As soon as he was naked, Rose returned to the couch, straddling his legs but not yet leaning on him. Biting her lower lip, she reached for him, a loose fist sliding over his cock in one gentle, dry stroke. Scorpius fought the urge to thrust into her hand, trying not to imagine how her mouth would look around him.

Grabbing her wrist, Scorpius pulled her in for a kiss. He broke it off abruptly, gasping, “Potion?”

“What?”

“Are you on the Potion?” He could summon his wand for a Contraceptive Charm, if need be, but it just seemed like too much work.

“Yes, yes. You really think we would have got this far if I weren't?”

He gave a relieved smile. “Just checking.”

Looking ready to shoot off another cheeky remark, whatever Rose was going to say next was swallowed up by a low moan. His fingers had brushed up the silky skin of her inner thighs, slipping into the wet curls between. Scorpius' free hand was pressed to the small of her back to steady Rose, allowing him to suck first on one breast and then the other.

(For that crazy moment, Scorpius wished he had more hands. Two just weren't sufficient for everything he wanted to do.)

He earned a keening cry when he gently pulled one nipple with his teeth. Before he could repeat it, Rose pushed him back against the couch. Settling against him, her thighs spread further apart, Scorpius' hands flew to her hips to steady her as she sunk down onto his cock.

They stayed like that for a few seconds, his hands resting on her hips and Rose's arms around his neck as she held him close. The feeling of her tight, wet heat surrounding him was overwhelming. All of it was. He was eye to eye with her, Rose's forehead resting against his. And when she nodded, he moved against her, slowly at first. Then faster, fingers digging into her hips as he watched her hand slip between her thighs. Scorpius was briefly tempted to push her hand aside and take over for her, wanting it to be his mouth, his hands and his cock that took her over the edge. But every thrust and movement made the cushions sink deeper, the couch groaning almost as loudly as they were.

Scorpius kissed and sucked his way up from her breasts to her neck and Rose's free hand twined in his hair, pulling him to her in a fierce kiss. Her tongue thrust into his mouth, mimicking the movements of his body. He was so close now, hips bucking even as he tried to hold back, wanting her to come first.

She did, crying his name over and over again against his mouth, and when Scorpius felt her tighten around him, he lost control.

~~~~~~~~

“I think we killed the couch.”

They hadn't moved yet. Rose curled in his arms, their sweat still warm and the smell of sex in the air. The cushion they were on was nearly half a meter lower than the others and Scorpius knew he was going to lose a layer of skin when he finally stood up. “At least it died happy.”

Rose giggled, her breath tickling his neck. “That reminds me,” she said, pulling away to land a light punch on his arm, “nice work on getting your Quaffle in my hoop, Malfoy.”

Grinning rakishly, Scorpius replied, “Why, thank you, Weasley. Excellent broom-riding skills there.”

“I'm going to start calling it your 'love wand'.”

“Go ahead.” He kissed her. “I have a lot of obnoxious jokes about 'finding the Snitch' that I'm waiting to try out.”

Laughing, Rose leaned her head against his shoulder. Scorpius hugged her close, feeling a rush of tenderness and protectiveness stronger than any he ever had before. And because of that and because he was generally a soppy sort of person, he whispered into her hair, “I love you.”

Rose tilted her head, a wide smile on her face. “I love you too.”

_FIN_


End file.
